The angle was more acute than Caitlyn Camelio would have liked, standing as she was on the first hash mark away from the goal line, but she wasn’t complaining.
It was her first and only opportunity for an unhindered shot from free position all day, and she wasn’t about to waste it.
The whistle blew. Camelio burst forward, faked right and shot upper left. She didn’t miss.
Camelio’s goal snapped a late tie and sent Falmouth to a second consecutive Class A girls’ lacrosse state championship, 5-3 over Kennebunk on Saturday night at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
“I just try to stay calm and composed,” said Camelio, a senior. “(Kennebunk’s Haley Moody) is a great goalie, so I had to go in close so she didn’t really know what I was doing.”
Falmouth, which edged Kennebunk 8-7 in overtime in late April, finishes at 14-1. Kennebunk, which won the Class B title in 2016 and 2017, finishes 11-4.
The victory is the 10th straight for Falmouth, whose only loss came against Windham. A year ago, Falmouth beat Massabesic 10-7 to win its first state championship.
“We know that Kennebunk is a very skilled team, they’re very well coached, and having already played them into overtime, we knew it would be a battle,” Falmouth Coach Ashley Pullen said. “It’s a fun rivalry, but anytime you get an opponent of that caliber, you know you’re going to have your hands full.”
Eva Clement opened the scoring for Falmouth in the fourth minute. Lily Schwartzman tied it for Kennebunk. Fourteen seconds later, Clement scored again, assisted by Kayla Sarazin, who controlled all five draws in the first half.
When Camelio scored unassisted half a minute later, the lead was 3-1 with 16 seconds left in the first half. It remained that way until halftime.
“They’re such a patient team and they like to hold it for a while,” Clement said. “So coming out and (getting an early lead) was really beneficial.”
Kennebunk tied in the second half. Schwartzman batted in a pass in front from Connor seven minutes after intermission. Elizabeth Kiezulas made it 3-3 with just under 10 minutes remaining, coming from behind the net, catching a pass from Mia Banglmaier and shooting quickly.
The score remained knotted for not quite two minutes before Camelio converted her free-position shot. Fellow senior Jo Stucker finished the scoring with another goal from free position, straight on, with 5:12 left.
Falmouth thwarted Kennebunk’s next possession when Sarah Wentworth picked up a loose ball. A second Rams possession went awry with an errant pass near midfield.
“We knew we weren’t going to win the ball off the draw anyhow,” Kennebunk Coach Annie Barker said, “so it was critical that we won some of those 50-50 ground balls, which we didn’t.”
Falmouth was able to milk much of the final three minutes until Allison Wuerthner raced in for a final shot, saved by Falmouth goalie Hannah Dubinsky, who remained in her crease as the final seconds expired.
Dubinsky finished with six saves, while Moody made seven saves for Kennebunk – six in the first half to keep the Rams close.
“Hold your heads high,” Barker told the Rams afterward. “Some people never even get here.”
As for Camelio, she was balancing the thrill of victory with the end of her high school career.
“I’m so sad that I’m not playing with these girls anymore, but I’m too happy right now,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed with great emotions.”
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