FALMOUTH — Some games just mean more.
And rest assured Monday night was one of those games for the Falmouth girls’ soccer team.
The Navigators knew undefeated Scarborough was coming to town and that none of the players or coaches on the team had ever beaten the Red Storm.
That all changed. The Navigators (10-1-1) shook off an early deficit, then got goals from Audrey Murray, Abbie Ford and Whitney Adams, as well as a typically strong effort from goalkeeper Jordan Wolf to prevail, 3-1.
“I feel like every time we play Scarborough it’s always a battle,” said Wolf, who had seven saves and an assist. “We hadn’t beaten them, so it’s a really good feeling.”
Scarborough (11-1) got off to a fast start as Natalie Bilodeau set up Lana Djuranovic for a left-footed one-timer in the fourth minute.
Falmouth drew even midway through the first half when Wolf took a free kick from just outside midfield and lofted the ball into the box. Murray was there to bang it home and tie the game.
“I love being involved in the offense,” Wolf said. “It’s one of my favorite things to do. It was so nice to get that assist.”
The Navigators then got a fortuitous bounce with 5:15 to go before halftime. A shot from the side by Mackenzie Verlee got through Red Storm goalkeeper Savannah Beaulieu (three saves) and rolled to Ford, who was waiting near the far post to tap the ball home and give Falmouth the lead.
“You have to keep runs going because you never know what’s going to happen,” Ford said. “You have to be ready at any moment for those through balls.”
Falmouth then got some breathing room with 34 minutes to play, when Murray got the ball to Whitney Adams on the left side. Before Beaulieu could cut off the angle, Adams fired a shot that Beaulieu got a hand on but couldn’t stop, and the lead was 3-1.
Wolf and a strong defense, which included a solid effort from sophomore Peaches Stucker on Djuranovic, helped slam the door.
“I’d say it’s probably the biggest win we’ve had in my nine years here,” said Falmouth Coach Andrew Pelletier. “We’ve never really come close to solving Scarborough. I thought we were on top for the most part all night and the girls deserved to win.”
Scarborough was looking for a test and found out the hard way that it still has work to do with games upcoming against Gorham and Cheverus.
“We have to get better,” said Red Storm Coach Mike Farley. “If we lick our wounds or put our heads down, we’re going to run into a couple other juggernauts who will run us over too. We have to turn it around and be more composed.”
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