Hermon High School girls soccer coach MJ Ball, who has led his Hawks to seven Class B North championships in 12 years, will have to wait at least another year for his first state Class B title.
Cape Elizabeth secured a 3-0 victory over the Hawks in the State B championship game held at Edward Little High School in Auburn on Saturday. The win was powered by a pair of goals from Hailey Gorman and another from Noelle Mallory. Both teams entered the game undefeated with 17-0 records.
“It’s the same old, same old,” said Ball. “It’s very tough to win the North and then come down and play a totally different style of game that you’re not used to at all.” Despite the loss, Ball encouraged his players to keep striving for that elusive state title.
“Our girls competed with them, but their quality is a little bit better than ours, and we couldn’t generate scoring chances like we normally do,” Ball explained. “That frustrates the players, and it snowballs into them dropping their heads.”
This game marked the first time the Hawks have been shut out this season, after scoring 99 goals in their previous 17 games. In contrast, it was Cape Elizabeth’s 12th shutout of the year.
“We’re not used to defending big chunks of time. We weathered the storm early, but then they scored, and that deflates you,” Ball said. “We just couldn’t find anything moving forward. We couldn’t connect with players. They dominated the air balls and did a good job winning the ball and keeping it.”
Ball also noted that some of his players had off days mentally and emphasized, “In a game like that, you have to be all-in.”
He praised Cape Elizabeth as the best team Hermon has faced this season. “They were very organized and structured,” Ball said, giving credit to Cape coach Brandon Noltkamper.
Gorman opened the scoring in the 23rd minute by converting a pass from Chloe Durkin. Early in the second half, Mallory headed in a corner kick delivered by Kate Hetrick. Gorman added a late goal to seal the victory for Cape Elizabeth.
Despite the loss, Ball singled out his goalie, Becca Balmas, as the player of the game. “She was fantastic. She made a ton of saves,” he noted.
Hermon will now regroup and set their sights on returning stronger next season as they continue their quest for a state Class B title.
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/11/08/sports/high-school-soccer/cape-elizabeth-soccer-shuts-out-hermon-girls-in-class-b-championship/
