SCARBOROUGH — After taking a slim 1-0 lead in the first half, the No. 1 Scarborough girls soccer team would surge in the second to beat visiting No. 2 Kennebunk 6-0 to advance to the state finals.

The Red Storm were once again the team to beat in the Class A South throughout the season, finishing the regular season with a 13-0-1 record and allowing just five goals in that span. Scarborough topped the Rams 6-0 in an earlier bout this season, and again were able to shut down Kennebunk.

Scarborough got on the board just over eight minutes into play when Gaby Panagakos scored from the left side to make it 1-0. The Rams held up for the remainder of the half, and got multiple corner opportunities in the final six minutes to pressure the Red Storm.

Although the Rams gained some momentum late in the first half, Scarborough came out firing in the second and got a goal from Molly Murnane at the 30:54 mark, then another from her less than two minutes later to extend the lead to 3-0. Murnane would score a third goal with 9:05 left to complete the hat trick.

Leah Dickman scored with 7:11 remaining, and Scarborough would get one last goal at 1:59 from Josie Couture to finish off the Rams.

“I think for them a lot of it was nerves. For most of them this was the first time they’ve made it to the regional finals so I think nerves were a big part of it,” said Kennebunk coach Shannon Cavanaugh after the loss. “Although they scored on us early we were able to settle in, but unfortunately (Scarborough) unleashed a little bit. We tried to throw everything in the kitchen sink at half, they were just phenomenal up top.”

Cavanaugh was impressed with the speed of the Red Storm, and felt that it was the ultimate difference in the two meetings this year.

“They have incredible speed up top with Gaby, Molly was absolutely spectacular. I did a lot of research but I knew going into this, playing against Gabby and Molly, matching that speed would be hard. They use their speed to their advantage which is hard for us for sure,” said Cavanaugh.

Despite the loss, Cavanaugh was pleased with the development of the team, especially considering it had 12 underclassmen on the roster. This was the first time that the Rams had ever been to the regional finals, and they hope to take a step further next fall.

“It’s frustrating to lose 6-0 again but it’s fuel for the fire for sure,” said Cavanaugh. “We’ve talked all season about belief and changing the culture and they absolutely have. This is the first time girls soccer has made it this far. To leave on that note definitely has a bitter taste in our mouths, hopefully that will fuel them for the next 10 months until we’re back here again.”

Scarborough will go on to face northern champ Camden Hills at Hampden Academy on Saturday afternoon.

— Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller can be reached at asponseller@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.