Yarmouth, Greely boys soccer fit to be tied in early-season showdown
Yarmouth, 1 – 1 Greely
The 2026 Western Maine Conference boys’ soccer season continued to deliver the rivalry drama that has defined the two neighboring districts for years. On Wednesday night, the Yarmouth Clippers and the Greely Rangers met at a Cumberland field in wet, slick conditions and traded the only goals of the match in the final ten minutes of regulation, then went into ten minutes of scoreless overtime before the game ended in a 1‑1 draw.
A late‑night showdown
The first half was a quiet, defensive affair. Neither team managed to find a break in the other’s organization, and the scoreboard remained empty for 30 minutes. In the second half, Yarmouth’s offense finally broke the stalemate. The Clippers generated nine shots and eight corners, forcing the first‑year senior goalkeeper James Saxe of Greely to make nine saves.
At 8:54 left in regulation, Greely seized the lead on a set‑piece. Free‑kick specialist Gavin Byrne lined up a 21‑yard strike that slid chest‑high over the Yarmouth wall and past Yarmouth goalkeeper Gabriel Janczuk. Byrne recalled the moment, “I saw that kick wide open and I said, ‘This is my ball. I’m going to hit this thing right there.’ That was one of my favorite goals I ever scored.”
Yarmouth, however, did not give up. With 1:10 remaining, the Clippers mounted a quick build‑up. Trevor Hunt delivered a ball into the box, where it deflected off a Greely defender and landed between Saxe’s near post. The rebound caught the Rangers off guard and the ball dropped to the ground, giving Yarmouth the tying goal. Hunt said, “I saw some space and called for the ball, and Tate MacVane made a nice pass and I saw someone running in and tried to get it there. I think we did deserve to get a lucky bounce. I think we definitely controlled that game.”
After regulation, the match went into a 10‑minute overtime period that yielded no further goals, sealing a draw for both sides.
Coaches reflect
Greely head coach Mike Andreasen noted the competitiveness of the match. “We’ll play them again, and who knows? What’s nice now is every time we play them, it’s close. Every game last year was a one‑goal game. Every game the year before was a one‑goal game, and tonight was a no‑goal margin,” he said. In the aftermath, Andreasen also said, “Losing a lead with a minute to go, you kind of say, ‘We should have won that game.’ Look at the flow of play, though. I thought they had a lot more chances than we had.”
Yarmouth coach Justin Morrill praised his team’s resilience. “Really big ups to the team for letting up a goal with a little more than 8 minutes left and to not back off. Just to continue to play and continue to get balls into the box,” he said.
A storied rivalry
The Greely‑Yarmouth matchup is one of the most storied in Western Maine high‑school sports. Both districts play each other twice a year in most sports, and the soccer rivalry has often featured postseason showdowns. Yarmouth is currently ranked No. 3 in the first Varsity Maine poll for 2026, while Greely sits at No. 9. The two schools have exchanged victories in recent years—Greely captured the 2024 Class B state title, while Yarmouth earned revenge in 2025 with a double‑overtime win at Bath and later defeated Oceanside for a third Class B title in 11 seasons.
Standouts and future stars
Yarmouth senior Cael Woelflein, who played at left back last season and saw limited minutes during the championship run, has emerged as a key contributor. He started at left back, then rotated to both left and right back in the second half and overtime, making offensive runs and delivering crosses from the flanks.
Greely’s goalkeeper James Saxe and Yarmouth’s Gabriel Janczuk were the main focus
