Waynflete girls score 15 straight goals for Opening Day win over NYA

Waynflete junior Laura Baginski, left, is congratulated after scoring a first half goal in the Flyers’ 16-2 win at North Yarmouth Academy Thursday evening. Waynflete scored the final 15 goals of the contest.

Joe Carpine / 365digitalphotography.com photos.

More photos below.

BOX SCORE

Waynflete 16 NYA 2

W- 10 6- 16
NYA- 2 0- 2

First half
17:56 NYA M. Larson (Hamblett)
14:55 W Stockford (Canning)
13:52 NYA Twombly (free position)
12:12 W Burdick (unassisted)
11:46 W Baginski (Stockford)
11:00 W Burdick (Canning)
7:57 W Burdick (unassisted)
7:20 W Canning (unassisted)
6:52 W Baginski (Burdick)
4:53 W Olney (unassisted)
2:22 W Burdick (Olney)
18.8 W Canning (unassisted)

Second half
19:35 W Wagg (Olney)
18:23 W Stockford (Wagg)
16:40 W Olney (Canning)
7:40 W Pope (Canning)
5:00 W Gervais (unassisted)
1:35 W Gervais (Canning)

Goals:
W- Burdick 4, Baginski, Canning, Gervais, Olney, Stockford 2, Pope, Wagg 1
NYA- Larson, Twombly 1

Assists:
W- Canning 5, Olney 2, Burdick, Stockford, Wagg 1
NYA- Hamblett 1

Draws:
W- 16
NYA- 4

Shots:
W- 33
NYA- 9

Shots on cage:
W- 25
NYA- 5

Saves:
W (Akers) 3
NYA (Davis) 4 (Li. Tufts) 6

YARMOUTH—Waynflete’s girls’ lacrosse team hasn’t received much preseason attention, but if the Flyers continue to click the way they did in Thursday’s season opener, serious respect will have to be paid to this young, albeit promising squad.

Waynflete kicked off the 2017 season as the “home” team at North Yarmouth Academy and after a sluggish start, showed just how dangerous they can be, scoring goal after goal with abandon.

The Panthers got early goals from freshmen Maggie Larson and Hannah Twombly to lead, 2-1, but the rest of the game belonged to the Flyers.

After Waynflete junior Izzy Burdick tied the game, junior Laura Baginski scored with 11:46 to go in the first half to put the Flyers ahead to stay.

Waynflete would tally seven more goals before its first half onslaught ended with it on top, 10-2, thanks in large part to four goals from Burdick.

The Flyers didn’t let up in the second half and freshmen Eliza Gervais and Emily Wagg got in on the scoring fun as Waynflete went on to an impressive 16-2 victory.

The Flyers had eight different girls tickle the twine, led by four goals from Burdick and two goals and five assists from senior captain Isabel Canning, as they won their opener for the 10th year in a row.

“I’m proud of the girls,” said longtime Waynflete coach Cathie Connors. “It was important to get off to a good start. It builds confidence. It was nice to get this game in. We had a little bit of a slow start, we struggled connecting. It started in our warm-up. Then, we pulled it together and trusted each other. We just had to get rid of the cobwebs.”

New beginning

Waynflete got to the Class B South semifinals last year before losing at eventual state champion Kennebunk, 10-2. to wind up 9-5.

NYA finished 3-9 and just missed the playoffs.

The teams have produced some great drama over the years, meeting in the state final six times between 2001 and 2010, with the Flyers taking five of those encounters.

The Panthers’ 7-3 victory in the 2010 Class B state game was their most recent win in the series.

Waynflete won the the last encounter, 13-4, in the 2015 opener (see sidebar, below, for previous results).

Thursday, on a chilly early evening (the game was scheduled for Waynflete’s grass field, but was moved to NYA’s turf because of field conditions), the Flyers made it seven in a row over the Panthers.

Neither team could find the net for over seven minutes before Larson finished a feed from sophomore Helen Hamblett for a 1-0 NYA lead with 17:56 to play in the first half.

Waynflete’s first goal came at the 14:55 mark, as Canning set up junior Ya Stockford.

The Panthers answered just over a minute later, as Twombly beat Flyers freshman goalie Avis Akers on a free position, but the rest of the game would belong to Waynflete.

With 12:12 to go in the half, Burdick scored for the first time and 26 seconds later, Stockford fed Baginski for a goal and Waynflete was on top for good, 3-2.

Then, the Flyers started scoring goals almost at will.

With 11 minutes to go in the half, Canning set up Burdick for a shot which NYA freshman goalie Maya Davis couldn’t stop.

After Stockford hit the post, Burdick scored unassisted with 7:57 showing and 37 seconds later, Canning got in on the scoring fun, finishing unassisted, to make it 6-2.

Waynflete was far from finished, as with 6:54 to go in the half, Burdick set up Baginski for a goal.

With 4:53 left, junior LZ Olney scored unassisted.

With 2:22 remaining, Olney set up Burdick.

Then, with just 18.8 seconds showing, Canning weaved through the defense before finishing unassisted to make it 10-2 at halftime.

“I have the senior mentality and the team sets me up for success,” Canning said.

“Isabel is a natural leader,” Connors said. “You can hear that on the field. She gives confidence to the other kids and takes charge.”

In the first half, Waynflete enjoyed a 21-6 shots advantage and Flyers sophomore Emi Boedecker won 11 of 13 draws.

“Emi’s talented on the draw,” Canning said. “The new rule that gives a little more space works out. It’s a safer way to play.”

In the second half, with darkness falling, the Flyers continued to control play and salted away their victory.

The first goal of the second half came with 19:35 to play, as Olney set up Wagg.

A little over a minute later, in transition, Wagg fed Stockford for a 12-2 lead, inducing a mercy rule running clock.

Waynflete got a 13th goal with 16:40 remaining, as Canning set up Olney.

With 7:40 left, Canning’s fired a pass onto the stick of senior captain Ali Pope, who beat NYA senior Lindsay Tufts, who came on to play goalie at halftime.

With 5 minutes to play, Gervais scored her first varsity goal, unassisted.

Then, with 1:35 to go, Canning’s final assist resulted in a second Gervais goal and that accounted for the 16-2 final score.

“It was exciting,” Canning said. “It’s like any first game of the season, we just had to get our feet underneath us. Then we got our rhythm. We’re a young team, but we have a lot of heart and a lot of people who have been in the system and love Cathie.”

Burdick led the scoring parade with four goals. Baginski, Canning, Gervais, Olney and Stockford all had two and Pope and Wagg each scored once.

Ten of the Flyers’ 16 goals were assisted, as Canning had five, Olney two and Burdick, Stockford and Wagg one apiece.

“We get so pumped up when a teammate scores,” Canning said. “My favorite play is when I get an assist.”

“It’s very nice to have balance,” Connors said. “Everyone out there can shoot and score. They all can do the job. They all work so well together. The young kids have potential. We have six freshmen and they all played. Two scored and the rest are on defense.”

Waynflete won 16 of 20 draws, enjoyed a 33-9 shots advantage (25-5 on cage) and got three saves from Akers in her debut.

NYA got a goal apiece from Larson and Twombly and an assist from Hamblett. Davis made four first half saves and Tufts stopped six shots in the second half.

We’re going to Disney World

While NYA will be idle until hosting Wells April 26, Waynflete will spend next week scrimmaging and team bonding at the Disney complex in Orlando, Florida.

The Flyers return to league play April 25 at Freeport. They then go to Yarmouth and Scarborough on back to back days at the end of that week as the schedule gets more difficult.

“We have big aspirations,” Canning said. “We know what it feels like to connect on the field. We just have to execute. We’ll have gorgeous weather and lacrosse (in Florida). We’re excited. The season goes by so quickly. It’s going to be interesting.”

“I have a big list of things to work on,” Connors said. “We’ll play some tougher games and we’ll find out where we stand.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

Waynflete senior Isabel Canning and NYA freshman Hannah Twombly battle for a loose ball.

Waynflete junior Izzy Burdick fires a shot past NYA freshman goalie Maya Davis and senior defender Lindsay Tufts for one of her four first half goals.