HAMPDEN, Maine — Determining a state championship soccer game with penalty kicks creates significant stress on the participants.
“I think I started to cry after the second overtime,” said Cape Elizabeth senior goalkeeper Mary Perkins.
First-year coach Craig Fannon did everything he could to lessen the tension for the Capers.
“I had the girls volunteer who wanted to take it [a shot] and then I picked the order from the volunteers,” Fannon said. “I sent them out and said, ‘be confident, hold your heads up high, whatever happens.’”
Perkins made a save on the second Waterville penalty kick and each of Cape Elizabeth’s four shooters converted, lifting the Capers to a 2-1 victory over the Purple Panthers in the Class B title game at Hampden Academy.
Cape Elizabeth (15-2-1) earned the program’s sixth state championship, its first in the Class B ranks
“This group as a whole, I think we’ve just wanted it from the beginning,” said Perkins, who backstopped Cape’s defense with an aggressive approach that limited Waterville to two shots on goal.
She was not tested prior to the penalty kicks, though the Capers had a team save.
Eastern Maine champ Waterville (16-2) was playing in its first Class B championship after claiming five Class A crowns, the last in 2008.
“We came awfully close and I’m really proud of the effort our girls gave tonight,” said Waterville coach Ian Wilson.
“It’s a heartbreaking way to lose,” he said of the PKs.
Cape Elizabeth outshot Waterville 22-3 and put eight on target. Fotini Shanos made five saves for the Panthers, who had two team stops.
Junior Pilar Elias converted the first PK for Waterville, but Cape sophomore Kathryn Clark answered with a goal.
Waterville senior Jayme Saulter then tried to beat Perkins low and to the left, but Perkins flashed out the left hand to knock the ball away.
“You’re all by yourself in a huge goal,” Perkins said.
“It’s really just a guess, pick a side and go for it,” she. “If you get it, then you’re feeling good.”
Capers senior Phoebe Shields scored, before Waterville senior Emily Dufour shot wide and Cape senior Elizabeth Raftice connected to make it 3-1.
Senior Colleen O’Donnell converted to keep Waterville’s hopes alive, but Cape sophomore Kate Breed scored on the fourth set to clinch it.
“It’s a very psychologically difficult thing to do and that’s a tough position to put 16-year-olds into,” Wilson said.
Cape Elizabeth went ahead 1-0 when Shields knocked a ball out of the air and ahead to Clark. She made a run up the middle and pushed a pass ahead to Breed, who fired a low shot that beat Shanos with 14:45 left in the first half.
The Capers’ momentum didn’t last long.
Panthers junior Lydia Roy blocked a clearing attempt, then chased it down deep into the Cape Elizabeth end. Perkins came out in an attempt to grab the ball, but Roy pulled it around the sprawling ’keeper and rifled a shot back across into the far corner.
The equalizer came only 42 seconds after Cape’s goal.
“We just got flat for a little bit and we lost all of our momentum,” Breed said. “We didn’t expect them to get a goal so quickly.”
Shields and Raftice helped Cape control the back end, limiting good chances by the dangerous trio of Roy, Ellis and junior Sarah Shoulta.
Junior Morgan Tortorella and sophomore Cody Veilleux broke up numerous Cape attacks with tenacious defensive play.