Winslow girls soccer coach Scott Wood is well aware of the dominance by Western Maine teams in the Class B state championship. He was behind the bench the last time an Eastern Maine team won, that being his Black Raiders in 2000.

"Even in that game, we had no business winning," Wood said.

He hopes to break the West's eight-year hold on the title when his team meets York at 5:30 p.m. today on the turf at Scarborough High School. He knows it won't be easy. During the past eight years in the state title game, Winslow has been on the losing end of the score five times.

"I think it's more opportunities to play," Wood said of the West's dominance. "Also, they have a larger pool to choose from. I had to recruit kids to fill out two teams."

The teams didn't meet in the regular season but they did play for the state title two years ago when York came out on top, 2-1. The Wildcats return six players from that team, including talented midfielder Emma Clark.

Clark, who will attend Boston University on a soccer scholarship next season, has scored 16 goals to go with 30 assists this season. Ashley Taylor has added 13 goals while freshman Kayla Swasey has nine.

The Wildcats breezed through the Western Maine tournament, outscoring opponents 15-1. During the regular season they scored 62 goals while allowing only nine.

"We can't come out and play tentatively," Wood said. "If we do, I think they're going to light the scoreboard early."

The Black Raiders also have some holdovers from that team, including senior midfielders Kim Curtis and Jordyn Mallett and Jessica Gordon, who is now the team's goalkeeper. Mallett has scored 19 goals, along with freshman Alliyah Veilleux, while Curtis has 18.

"We're going to have to cash in on any opportunities we get if we get any," Wood said.

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com