By Michael Hoffer
MaxPreps.com
The Greely and Cape Elizabeth boys soccer programs are well aware of each other. The Rangers and Capers meet twice every season, and in most years, square off a third time in the playoffs.
Last fall, Greely enjoyed a 1-0 win over Cape Elizabeth in one regular season meeting and the squads played to a scoreless tie in the other. In the Western Class A quarterfinals, the eventual state champion Rangers cruised to a surprisingly easy 3-0 victory against the Capers.
The teams had their first 2008 battle Wednesday night at Greely. After a first half devoid of serious scoring chances, things picked up in the second stanza.
Just three minutes in, Cape Elizabeth senior goalkeeper Zach Breed kicked away a shot at the last moment with Greely sophomore Sean Ross closing in. Six minutes later, the Rangers had a corner kick (where they owned a 5-2 edge on the night) that skimmed across the face of the goal untouched.
The Capers' best chance came in the 74th minute, when senior standout Marcus Goldbas fired just wide. With 4:28 to play, Rangers' senior Alex Thomas launched a left-footed shot that Breed dove for and deflected out of bounds, setting up a corner kick, which was subsequently cleared. After Greely senior Clay Maker's soft shot in the final minute was saved by Breed, it was on to overtime.
It didn't take long for the hosts to win it in the first of two potential five-minute, sudden death sessions. After Cape Elizabeth controlled for a short time, Rangers' senior Kevin Hart stole possession, raced in and unleashed a blast that Breed slowed. Trouble was, the ball deflected to his left where Greely freshman Brian Hart (Kevin's brother) was waiting to hammer it into the open net, giving the Rangers the 1-0 win.
“My brother actually had a shot far post,” said Brian Hart, who scored his first goal in his first varsity contest. “It was just kind of sitting there for me with an empty net. Luckily, I tapped it in. I'm glad I scored that. Cape was tough. They're a good team.”
Greely coach Mike Andreasen was impressed with the Capers' effort and still feels they're a top threat in Western Class A.
“Cape's solid,” Andreasen said. “Their personnel is so good and they're seniors. They also have some good juniors that I'll have to worry about for a while. Their formation is tough to defend. I thought we limited their chances. They had good chances, but we had more quality chances. They played more possession, better midfield than us. They're as good as anybody. Scarborough and Cape are still the teams to beat.”
The Capers have now gone four-straight games against Greely without scoring a goal. They also have a tough week ahead. After hosting Traip Saturday, they welcome Lake Region Monday, then play host to two-time defending Class B champion Falmouth Wednesday. Don't expect them to hang their heads over this loss. In fact, Cape Elizabeth is looking forward to its rematch with Greely (Oct. 21 at home).
“There's no one that we look at and feel we can't play with,” fill-in coach Charlie Carroll said. “This was a tough place to play. We'll play them at least one more time. If things work out the way they usually do, we'll see them twice. It's never going to be easy.”
Greely goes to fierce rival Falmouth, the defending Class B champion, Friday and hosts dangerous Yarmouth Wednesday.
Football: Bonny Eagle, Deering, TA Keep Rolling
Entering the 2008 football season, the pundits felt defending state champ Bonny Eagle, Deering and Thornton Academy were the cream of the Western Class A crop.
That's held true through two weeks of action.
Last week, Bonny Eagle (which crushed Cheverus 46-6 in its opener) pulled away in the second half to blank Windham 42-0. Deering (a 21-14 winner at Windham in Week 1) also enjoyed a rout, crushing visiting Westbrook 55-0. Thornton Academy (a 49-6 winner over Sanford in its first game) rolled to a 55-0 win at Noble.
This week, the Rams get a test when they visit 2-0 Gorham. Bonny Eagle figures to improve to 3-0 when its plays at winless South Portland. Thornton Academy might get a challenge when it visits 2-0 Scarborough.
Michael Hoffer is the sports editor of The Forecaster, a family of weekly newspapers based in Falmouth. Michael can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net
