BATH — Coming off a tough loss against defending Class B state champion Yarmouth on Tuesday, the Freeport girls’ soccer team had a quick turnaround for Wednesday’s game at Morse. It took a while for the Falcons to break through despite near constant pressure on the Morse defense, but eventually they broke through.
Sadie Grogan’s goal with 17:20 to play finally put the Falcons in front, and Freeport went on to a 2-0 victory at McMann Field.
“We were all just a little tired from Yarmouth. It took us a while to pick up the pace and put one in,” Grogan said.
Freeport improved to 5-2-3, while Morse is now 4-4.
Grogan’s goal came after Rosie Panenka crossed the ball from right to left. The pass deflected off Ella Tracy to Grogan, who chipped it into the net.
Freeport gave itself a two-goal cushion just over two minutes later when Braelynn Coons scored off a corner kick with 15:07 left.
Until those goals, it was a game of missed chances for the Falcons. Most of that was because of the fine play of Morse goalie Haley Kirkpatrick, who entered the game with just over 20 minutes remaining in the first half as starting keeper Riley Walters left because of illness. Kirkpatrick finished with 13 saves, including a stop on Kenzie Cochran’s penalty kick with 7:08 to go in the first half.
“Obviously, Haley did a phenomenal job. She stepped up big time. It’s her first year as a goalie and you saw the results on the field. She was pretty much lights out every time they came down the field,” Morse Coach Dave Beauregard said.
Though his team was coming off a tough, physical game against Yarmouth just a day earlier, Freeport Coach David Intraversato figured it was a matter of time before the Falcons would convert a scoring chance.
“As a coach, you say, ‘I think we’re jinxed.’ We’re getting all these shots, a PK, and we can’t put the ball in the net,” Intraversato said. “But the kids stepped up and we got a win.”
Amanda Panciocco and Karleigh Costello shared the shutout, with neither facing a shot on goal.
“We had our chances. We weren’t able to take advantage of our chances,” Beauregard said. “They’re a high pressure team and they just keep coming at you.”
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