HAMPDEN – As Waynflete’s Megan Gentile approached what would be the last kick of her high school soccer career, she had a simple thought.

“‘Don’t miss this’ was running through my mind,” Gentile said. “I knew I had to do this.”

The senior delivered when her team needed it most, making a penalty kick that allowed her Flyers of Portland to defeat Lee Academy 2-1 in Saturday’s Class D girls soccer state championship game at the Weatherbee Complex field.

Gentile’s kick brought an end to a game that lasted more than 21/2 hours, including four sudden-death overtime periods and 10 penalty kicks. Each team scored one goal during regulation before the Flyers topped Lee 7-6 in penalty kicks.

Waynflete finished with a 12-2-1 record while Lee ended at 17-1 after losing for the first time since losing to the Flyers 3-0 in the 2002 state title game, also in Hampden.

Gentile was focused on her task as she placed the ball on the penalty spot.

“I didn’t even look at the goalie,” she said. “I didn’t even know where it went. I heard the fans scream and I knew I had scored.”

Just before Gentile’s kick, Lee’s Brooke Harris had her shot partially deflected and tipped over the goal by Waynflete goalie Liza Timpson, keeping the second five-round set of penalty kicks tied at 2-2. Each team made four of five PKs in the first round.

“Coaches dread penalty kicks,” Lee Academy coach Tom Pickering said. “It’s a tough way to lose.”

The Pandas grabbed the early advantage, thanks to Harris’ goal with 8:15 left in the first half.

The goal was set up by a free kick earned by Lee at the edge of the penalty area. Senior standout Shelby Pickering took the kick and passed the ball across the penalty area to an open Harris, who knocked the ball into the net and gave the Pandas a 1-0 halftime edge.

The Flyers changed tactics after halftime, according to first-year coach Jonathan Shardlow.

“We played way too direct in the first half,” he said. “Lee has a good defensive team. If you try to isolate, they will shut you down.”

Waynflete finally tied the game at 1-1 with 20:55 left, courtesy of a long blast from senior Molly Delong. Off a teammate’s throw-in, Delong fired a long, hard shot that deflected off Lee goalie Jackie Moors (11 saves) and into the net.

Delong later had to leave the game after a collision with Lee’s Amanda Gifford as both players were trying to head the ball in the midfield area.

That would be the last goal of the match, though each team had several chances to score the go-ahead goal in the waning minutes of regulation.

Lee’s Liz Read cleared away a ball that bounced over Moors with about three minutes left, while Timpson saved a point-blank shot by Lee’s Aarika Ritchie with 1:34 left in the second half.

The Flyers outshot Lee 11-5 in overtime (and 26-18 in the game), including a 5-1 edge in the fourth extra session. Pickering had the final shot for Lee, sending a cross that Timpson snagged with 34 seconds left.

Pickering was held without a goal for the first time since the 2002 state championship game and ended her high school career with 177 goals, a state record regardless of gender.

“They stopped us up the middle,” coach Pickering said. “Their goalie had some good saves. They didn’t give Shelby many looks.”