Rams boys soccer fall

WINDHAM — One could say it has been both a successful and frustrating season for the Kennebunk boys soccer team.

The Rams have a 7-4-1 record this season, putting the team in the thick of the Western Class A playoff race.

Kennebunk has also played in down-to-the-wire matches with the top teams in their conference.

The frustration would come from the fact that in playing against top competition, the Rams have fallen just short, losing by only one goal against Scarborough and Cheverus, who are in first and fourth, respectively, in the Maine Principal Association Heal Point standings.

One more team, Windham High School, can be added to the list, as the third ranked Eagles defeated Kennebunk 1-0 Thursday night.

The match featured strong defensive play by Kennebunk, a trait they have showed off all season long, including several diving saves by goalkeeper Spencer Pope.

The lone goal of the game came by chance to the Eagles. On a breakaway down the right side of the field, Matt Coffee of Windham made a beautiful pass through the air to the other side of the field, where Will Hanson was waiting to poke the ball past Pope and into the net for the 1-0 score.

It was yet another fateful opportunity that didn’t go in the Rams favor.

Hanson said Coffee’s perfect pass was key to the goal.

“Matt made a great run down the side and I saw his run so I matched him coming down the left [side of the field],” Hanson said. “I ran wide and swung in and he played a beautiful ball and I was opened and placed it in the bottom corner.”

Hanson praised Kennebunk as being a strong team that posed a big challenge

“Kennebunk’s a solid team,” Hanson said. “They play solid defense. They played physical the whole game. I think their physicalness kept us back a little bit. We didn’t fight very hard in the first half. The whole game was kind of an upset, but we snuck away with the win.”

Kennebunk coach Nathan Bean said he’s been proud of the way his team has performed, and said the Rams will continue to be a tough opponent through the playoffs.

“I’m proud of how the guys played, and they played a nice match,” Bean said. “But it’s not anymore about proving we can compete and proving we can belong, it’s about results. Teams that get results will keep playing in a couple of weeks and teams that don’t will be done. All the teams that will be done after next Tuesday will be quality teams. It’s tough not to get a result, it’s dissapointing. But I’m proud of how they played, and we’re going to be a tough draw in the tournament.”

Bean said the match with Windham was a good indicator of how the competition will be like in the playoffs.

“That’s a playoff match,” Bean said. “That’s a good team. We went on the road and were a little bit short tonight. That’s what the next couple weeks are going to be about. We’re going to see another team like that in the next couple of weeks and hope to be on the other side of the outcome.”

Kennebunk finishes its regular season Oct. 20 on the road against Noble High School.