FALMOUTH — The Waynflete boys soccer team won its second consecutive state championship, pulling away with three goals in a 15-minute span in the second half on Saturday.
The Flyers got goals from Patrick Shaw, Aiden Kieffer and Samir Sayed after halftime to distance themselves from Mount View and defend their Class C title with a 4-0 win at Falmouth High School.
Mount View’s Elijah Allen (11) battles for the ball with Waynflete’s Roan Hopkins in the Class C state championship Saturday in Falmouth. Portland Press Herald photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette Buy this Photo
Joey Ansel-Mullen also scored for Waynflete (16-2).
Waynflete now has six state championships – three in Class D, and three in the last eight years in Class C.
“I’d say it was a pretty validating experience,” said Kieffer, a junior center back, of winning a second straight title. “We lost some key seniors (last year), we lost a key striker, and people thought we might drop off a little bit. To get another one, it’s really big. We’re looking to get another one next year.”
The game took a turn in the 50th minute.
For all the talk of the Flyers’ size, skill and speed, an oft-overlooked element to their game is their intelligence. Mount View coach Jeremy Von Oesen thought it was the difference Saturday.
“They’re extremely intelligent,” Von Oesen said. “Individual skill on the ball, intelligence, being able to knock the ball at the right time, and relieving pressure so you’re never defending. They possess and do the things you need to do at a higher level.
“I’d say they’re all very collegiate.”
“Very smart kids,” Waynflete coach Brandon Salway agreed. “We talk about something, and they do it. They’re very smart, very competitive. Just a great season.”
Shaw got on the end of an Oliver Burdick cross with a late run in the 50th minute, giving Waynflete a 2-0 lead. Kieffer added an insurance goal eight minutes later, Sayed followed with a penalty kick, and what had been a one-goal game was suddenly a runaway.
Waynflete was so strong at the other end of the field that senior keeper Aidan Carlisle didn’t need to record a save in his 10th shutout of the season and third straight this postseason.
“Their back four is solid. It’s hard getting by them,” said Mount View senior striker Elijah Allen, who finished with 29 goals this season. “They’re smart enough to get rid of (the ball) or send it out to wings, and that’s hard to beat. Unless you have a perfect touch every time, they’re going to be right on you.”
Mount View’s Draedyn Furrow (6) battles for the ball with Waynflete’s Patty Shaw in the Class C state championship Saturday in Falmouth. Portland Press Herald photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette Buy this Photo
The Mustangs did get better after falling behind 1-0 in a frantic opening four minutes, and they started to use their aerial ability to control more of the midfield play. Even when the Flyers went on the attack – typically with long, incisive through balls – the Mt. View back line was efficient at directing play back out to the flanks.
The hurdle Mount View needed to climb, however, was that increased possession and better defending didn’t amount to much in the attacking third.
“All year long, we’ve prided ourselves on our defense,” Kieffer said. “Going up early in a state final, you’re always expecting a reaction from the other team. The next 20 minutes was big that we didn’t concede. Once we got to halftime, it kind of simmered out and we were able to impose our will.”
Until Allen’s free kick from 25 yards sailed just inches over the crossbar in the 40th minute, the Mustangs hadn’t produced a single shot attempt.
Allen’s free kick from further back that missed the target in the 71st minute was the Mustangs’ only other shot.
“They back-tackled really well,” Von Oesen said. “They are very smart at times to just knock the ball out of bounds if they needed to, just to recover and square things up. They subbed a lot, too, once they were up 1-0, and that disrupts the flow of the game. That’s just smart.”
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