FALMOUTH—Falmouth’s girls’ soccer team wasn’t at all pleased with how its regular season ended Monday, with a five-goal home loss.
So the Navigators spent the week regrouping and Friday evening, turned things around with a victory.
And not just any victory, but a playoff win.
Hosting No. 11 Portland in a Class A South preliminary round contest, sixth-ranked Falmouth went on top to stay in the 13th minute when senior captain Mallory Kerr scored off a corner kick.
The Navigators defense held the potent Bulldogs in check from there and when freshman Hadley Perry, on her birthday no less, added a goal with 26 minutes remaining, they had some breathing room and went on to a 2-0 victory.
Falmouth improved to 10-3-2, ended Portland’s season at 5-9-1 and advanced to take on host No. 3 Windham (10-3-1) in the quarterfinals Tuesday at 6 p.m.
“We found our stride again and connected on a few things,” said Navigators coach Ben Johnson. “I think we can still play better, but we’ll take it.”
No margin for error
Falmouth started with a loss at reigning state champion Scarborough, then caught fire before struggling a bit down the stretch (see sidebar, below, for links to previous stories) and closing Monday with a 5-0 home loss to the Red Storm.
Portland was just 1-5 at one juncture, but earned some key results late in the season to get into the tournament.
The teams didn’t play this fall and had no playoff history.
Friday, on a night which featured a little fog and light precipitation, the Navigators limited the Bulldogs’ chances and took advantage of a couple of theirs to advance.
Falmouth senior captain Mallory Kerr and Portland freshman Kiley McCrum fight for possession during the Navigators’ 2-0 victory Friday. Hoffer photos.
Falmouth came out strong and threatened early, but a rush from senior Gracyn Mick was broken up by Portland senior Kyla Derrig, senior Josie D’Andrea missed wide, then junior Mackenzie VerLee missed as well.
But with 27:29 to go in the first half, the Navigators got the only goal they would need, as VerLee sent in a corner kick to Kerr, who headed the ball past Bulldogs senior goalkeeper Lucy Tidd for a 1-0 lead.
“Kenzie plays amazing balls,” said Kerr. “She has moments of absolute greatness. I saw it coming and I wanted it. I saw the goalie staying central, so I put it right side of the net.”
“(Mallory’s) done that all year long,” said Johnson. “She really leads the team and I put the emphasis on seniors leading in the playoffs.”
The Bulldogs tried to answer, but on their lone shot of the half, a bid from junior standout Anneliese Collin, was denied by Falmouth junior goalkeeper Madison VerLee.
The Navigators hoped to keep scoring, but a blast from sophomore Afton Mack was tipped over the crossbar at the last second by Tidd, Tidd saved a header from sophomore Ella Morse off a corner kick, Perry was wide on a rush after taking a pass from D’Andrea, then a free kick from sophomore Finley VanTil glanced off the far post keeping the score 1-0 at the half.
Falmouth continued to stymie Portland in the second half and got an insurance goal to put it away.
Falmouth senior Gracyn Mick boots the ball past Portland freshman Kiley McCrum.
After Mackenzie VerLee missed just high, Perry was robbed by Tidd, then missed just wide.
The Bulldogs had a chance to pull even with 27:35 remaining, but senior Phoebe Knoll was just off target.
At the other end, with 26:26 on the clock, the Navigators got some breathing room, as D’Andrea passed to Perry, who dribbled past a defender, then beat Tidd just inside the near post to make it 2-0.
“You look at what Portland’s been doing, so I knew they were in the game until the last minute and it was huge to get another goal,” Johnson said. “(Hadley’s) been something different for us all year. Very quick and she has an eye for the goal.”
The Bulldogs fought hard until the end, but Collin missed just wide off a corner kick, Madison VerLee made saves on shots from freshman Kiley McCrum and Knoll, then with 2:58 to go, Collin finally got free, but VerLee denied her as well and Falmouth was able to run out the clock and celebrate its 2-0 victory.
Falmouth junior goalkeeper Madison VerLee is mobbed by her teammates following Friday’s victory.
“This means a lot,” Kerr said. “It’s the first step.”
“We played as a team,” said senior back and captain Eve Gallacher. “I think we did a really good job overall. I’m proud of us. I think we just put Monday behind us. Scarborough’s a tough team and hopefully we can see them again soon.”
“We talked about what they like to do, we pressed them hard and won the ball and tried to go forward,” Johnson added. “We executed well.”
The Navigators had a 9-4 advantage in shots on frame, got four saves from Madison VerLee and took five corner kicks to the Bulldogs’ two.
Portland got six saves from Tidd, but came to the end of the road.
“Congrats to Falmouth,” said Bulldogs coach Matt Bernstein. “They’re an amazing team. They have some great players. They’re going to be very difficult to beat. I think we came in here and pushed them. It’s a battle when you have two quality teams going at it. They’ll give their best and we’ll give our best. We had some good opportunities, but we were just an inch away. They pushed us to do things just a little quicker than we wanted to.
“I’m incredibly proud. They’re great kids. They gave everything. I’m really impressed with what my team did all season. I think we really grew this season. I’ve loved every second of coaching this team. Being able to be their coach is a privilege.”
Portland loses a lot of talent to graduation, but will be back in the mix in 2024.
“The saddest part of tonight isn’t that we lost, but that’s it’s the end of the road for our season and for our seniors,” said Bernstein. “I can’t imagine a better group of seniors. They’ve had quite an impact on the program. They’ve left their mark. The impact they had on Portland soccer is bigger than wins and playoff games.
“We have a lot of players coming back. We’ll be excited to go again. I’m already counting the days.”
An opportunity
Back on Sept. 18, Falmouth shocked visiting Windham in the rain, 3-1, for arguably its biggest victory of the season.
The Eagles won the lone prior playoff encounter, 1-0, in the 2017 Class A South preliminary round.
The Navigators hope to spring another upset Tuesday.
“I’m excited for the challenge,” said Gallacher. “I didn’t get to play the first time. Hopefully I can add some extra strength in the back line and we can secure another clean sheet.”
“We beat (Windham) in the regular season, but we know we have to step up our level of play,” Kerr said. “We’ll stay focused in practice and get absolutely hyped to go to their home turf. We just talked that business isn’t done yet. No one is satisfied.”
“We still have a lot to prove,” Johnson added. “Windham is going to want us after we beat them. We have a hard road. We know we have potential, but we can’t play anything less than our best game. Windham’s a program that wins every year for a reason.”
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. For game updates and links to game stories, follow him on Threads: @foresports2023
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