CAPE ELIZABETH—Cape Elizabeth’s field hockey team has high hopes this fall and the Capers got see up close and personal Wednesday evening at Hannaford Field just what it will take to get to a championship level.

All they had to do was look at the team on the other side of the field.

Hosting perennial powerhouse York, Cape Elizabeth found itself without answers for the first time, as the Wildcats scored early and often and after coming from behind to win on multiple occasions this season, the Capers weren’t able to rally this time around.

York got the only goal it would need in the first quarter when senior captain Sage Works scored off a penalty corner.

In the second period, senior captain Lexi Brent and junior Ashley LaPierre added goals and the Wildcats’ defense slammed the door from there as York went on to a 3-0 victory.

The Wildcats won their 11th game without a loss and in the process, dropped Cape Elizabeth to 8-1-1.

“York’s a great team,” said Capers coach Maura Bisogni. “We learned what we can’t do against a team like that. We’ll see York again. We do respect them, they are strong.”

The true barometer

For the better part of two decades, the rest of the Western Maine Conference has measured itself against York, which seemingly comes out of Class B South annually to play for the state title, and on almost every occasion, the hopeful falls short.

This fall, it appears that Cape Elizabeth could be the squad best equipped to knock the Wildcats off the mountaintop.

Cape Elizabeth surged out of the gate with home victories over Wells (11-0) and Freeport (5-0) before edging visiting Lake Region (2-1) and tying host Yarmouth (1-1). The Capers then blanked visiting Gray-New Gloucester (8-0) and Greely (4-0) before surviving scares from visiting Fryeburg Academy (5-4, in double-overtime, on a goal from junior Kaitlyn McIntyre), host Lake Region (1-0, in two OTs, on Gray’s game-winner) and host Freeport (3-2, in double-overtime, as McIntyre again played the hero).

York, which wasn’t able to play a game in 2020, welcomed back former coach/dynasty creator Barb Marois and handled its first 10 foes this fall: Freeport (5-0), Lake Region (3-1), Poland (7-0), Gray-New Gloucester (8-0), Yarmouth (5-0), Fryeburg Academy (4-1), Greely (3-1), Freeport (4-1), Poland (7-0) and Fryeburg Academy (3-0), outscoring the opposition by a composite 49-4 margin.

The teams last met in the 2019 season, a 2-0 win for the Wildcats at Cape Elizabeth.

Wednesday, on a very pleasant early-October evening (63 degrees at the start, 59 degrees at the end), the Capers sought their first victory over York in at least two decades, but the Wildcats controlled play much of the way.

Cape Elizabeth started confidently and earned a penalty corner in the game’s first minute, but couldn’t produce a shot and York then went on the attack.

After junior Abigail Armlin sent a shot just wide for the Wildcats, they earned a corner and with 5;42 to go in the first quarter, junior Maggie Hanlon inserted the ball to Works, who passed to Armlin, who sent it right back to Sparks, who fired a shot which deflected off a Capers defender and into the cage for a 1-0 lead.

“I really like doing corners,” said Works, who is normally a defender. “It’s really fun to hit the ball and hope it goes in, but it’s also fun to pass it to my teammates and make sure they get a chance to score too. I just received the ball like I do any other time and I just took the shot. I looked up and it was in.”

“Sage has been all over the field during her career,” Marois said. “As a coach, you put players where you feel like you need them to benefit the team.”

Cape Elizabeth sophomore goalie Zoe Burgard kept the score at 1-0 by denying a shot by Armlin off another corner.

York then got some breathing room in the second period.

With 9:43 to go, Brent got to the ball in a scrum in front and sent it past Burgard to double the advantage.

After Burgard broke up a rush by junior Abby Dickson, the Wildcats went on top, 3-0, as Brent had a shot saved, but LaPierre scored on the rebound.

In the final minute of the half, the Capers mustered their first shot on cage, from Gray, but York senior goalie Savanna Hanscom made the save.

Burgard kept the deficit at three in the third period by saving a shot from Brent in transition, another from Dickson on a rush, as well as a rebound attempt from LaPierre.

Gray took a shot for Cape Elizabeth, but Hanscom stopped it.

In the fourth period, the Capers didn’t surrender a shot on cage, but couldn’t close the gap, as Gray missed just wide on a shot and off a penalty corner, Cape Elizabeth couldn’t get to the ball out of a scrum.

York then finished off its 3-0 victory.

“We knew that it was going to be a challenge, but we just wanted to go out there and play our game that we know we can play,” Works said. “It’s always fun to face a team that will give us a big challenge.”

“We were up for the challenge,” said Marois. “We knew (Cape would) be ready to hit us in the mouth right off the bat and we’d have to weather that. We did what we needed to do. It’s always fun. Every year is different and every group is different. I hadn’t had a chance to coach these ladies yet, so it’s been fun to connect with them and grow with them and become a collective unit.”

The Wildcats had a 12-2 shots advantage and took seven corners to the Capers two. Hanscom made two saves.

“We play really well together on defense,” said Works. “We make sure we’re organized and communicate. Even if there’s a slip-up here and there, we try to hype each other up. We just try and go out there and play the game we know we can play.”

“Our defense did their job,” Marois said. “We have some solid players down the middle of the field, strategically placed.”

Burgard made nine saves for the Capers, who played very well in the third and fourth quarters.

“I think we feel really confident after the second half,” Cape Elizabeth coach Maura Bisogni said. “I think we’re learning we have to start out in the first quarter like we finish. This was a great reminder against a team of this level that you can’t start slow. You have to start like it’s the fourth quarter.  This was a faster game than we’ve played in awhile. They play a high level of field hockey. You can’t let them take too many shots or get too many corners, because they’ll finish. ”

Thinking postseason

York finishes its regular season with games at Lake Region and at home versus Greely and Cape Elizabeth (Oct. 18).

“We’re having so much fun this year,” said Works. “We love spending time together as a team. We’ll keep putting our all into all of our games. We’ll practice and work hard toward our next game.”

“We’ve got to focus on things we can control,” Marois said. “We want to continue to grow, string along solid quarters. Our main goal is to play a 100 percent game. I don’t think we’ve played a whole game. We’ve played some really good quarters here and there, but not a whole game. We want to hopefully get to that point at the right time.”

The Capers hope to bounce back Monday at Poland. They then go to Gray-New Gloucester and Greely before finishing up at York

“Being undefeated was fun and exciting, but it wasn’t our goal,” Bisogni said. “We’ve got a tough schedule the next couple weeks. A lot of away games. That will get us ready for playoffs.”

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