YARMOUTH — Freeport’s resurgent girls soccer team is taking it one game at a time this fall, but some wins mean more than others and the victory the Falcons picked up Friday afternoon is right at the top of the list.
Visiting two-time defending Class B state champion Yarmouth on the Clippers’ Senior Day, Freeport had some good opportunities, but junior scoring machine Catriona Gould wasn’t able to finish.
Then, with 23:59 remaining in regulation, Gould eluded two defenders and buried a shot to get the Falcons on the board.
Freeport’s defense did the rest and the Falcons prevailed, 1-0, for a big Western Maine Conference high school girls soccer victory.
Freeport improved to 7-3-2, won on Yarmouth’s turf field for just the second time ever and first time in the regular season, dropped the Clippers to 6-5 and handed Yarmouth it’s first three-game losing skid since 2011 in the process.
“We’ve taken it one game at a time all season and the first time we played them, I knew in the second half that we had a chance,” said first-year Falcons coach David Intraversato. “We just played our game and here we are.”
In the Sept. 11 meeting between the teams (a 4-2 Yarmouth win), the host Clippers received two goals from sophomore Anna Wallace and one apiece from sophomore Parker Harnett and junior Abi Hincks to overcome tallies from the Falcons’ Gould and sophomore Carly Intraversato.
Entering play Friday, Yarmouth had won 17 of 19 meetings this century with Freeport winning once and the teams settling for one draw (see sidebar, below).
This time around, on a very pleasant early-fall afternoon (59-degrees and sunny skies), the Falcons finally solved the Clippers.
The first good chance came in the eighth minute, when Yarmouth senior Liv Feeley put a long free kick on target, but Freeport sophomore goalkeeper Leah Rusiecki made the save.
Gould first showed what she’s capable of in the 11th minute, when she split a pair of defenders and got into the box before a third defender knocked the ball to Carly Intraversato, whose shot sailed just over the crossbar.
Freeport senior Allison Greuel tries to possess the ball as Yarmouth junior Adriana Whitlock defends. (Joe Carpine photo)
After Rusiecki saved a shot by Clipper junior Audrey Goessling, Gould missed just high.
Late in the first half, Yarmouth sophomore Gabrielle Thibodeau had a long shot saved by Rusiecki, a promising cross from Clippers junior Hannah Dwyer rolled through the box untouched and a long shot from Intraversato was saved by Clippers senior goalkeeper Caitlin Hewitt.
Through 40 minutes, Yarmouth had a 3-1 edge in shots on frame, but neither team found a goal.
Second half
After Intraversato missed just wide and Gould shot high after a turnover in the box to keep the game scoreless, a Dwyer rush was broken up by Freeport senior Abby King.
With 29:55 on the clock, Gould eluded three defenders and shot, forcing Hewitt to make a sprawling save. The rebound squirted out to senior Allison Greuel, but her bid was blocked.
The goal came with 23:59 left in regulation and featured Gould at her finest. Gould received the ball just inside midfield, near the left sideline, and after turning the corner on one defender. Gould cut back and got through a second one before going one-on-one with Hewitt and firing her shot into the net for a 1-0 lead.
“I should have put some of those other (chances) away,” Gould said. “(The goal) was a team effort. We were defending well, so we were able to push forward.”
“Catriona can always score, but she feeds off all of our intensity,” David Intraversato said. “The girls behind her work hard and get her the ball and she gets rewarded and puts it away. She’s got great moves and she can finish. That’s what great strikers do.”
“We knew (Freeport) had one key player and if you give Cat space, she’ll put it away,” lamented Yarmouth coach Chris Coleman. “She’ll create because she’s a special player.”
After Hewitt twice denied Gould bids to extend the lead, the Clippers hoped to equalize, but a cross from freshman Katelyn D’Appolonia was cleared and the Falcons ran out the clock on their 1-0 victory.
“We had great intensity today,” Gould said. “It’s so amazing to win here.”
Freeport finished with a 5-3 edge in shots on frame, and received three saves from Rusiecki. The Falcons held a 2-0 edge in corner kicks.
Freeport (ranked fourth in the Class B South Heal Points standings) goes to Fryeburg Academy Tuesday, then closes the regular season Oct. 12 at home against Cape Elizabeth.
“This makes us feel good,” Gould said. “We’ve worked hard and we take it one game at a time. We have to keep working hard every day and stay focused.”
“I’m very happy, but we still have to get a little bit faster,” David Intraversato said. “At playoff-time, everyone will be playing hard. We want to get enough (Heal Points) to play on our home field.”
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