WINDHAM — Five weeks in a high school soccer season might as well be five years. The Windham girls’ soccer team knew it was a better team now in late October than it was when it lost to Falmouth on Sept. 18, and on Tuesday night in the Class A South quarterfinals, the Eagles proved it.
Windham scored a pair of second-half goals and took a 2-0 victory over the Navigators, who earned a 3-1 regular season win the last time these teams played. No. 3 Windham (11-3-1) will face No. 2 Gorham (12-1-2) in the regional semifinals, while No. 6 Falmouth ends the season at 10-4-2.
Windham has won eight of its last nine games after opening the season 3-3.
Windham Coach Deb Lebel said her team had to improve things at both ends of the field from the last time it played Falmouth.
“We needed more pressure up front to score. We needed to stay a little more patient defensively. Contain and help each other, and I think that made all the difference,” Lebel said.
Sophomore forward Marley Jarvais broke the scoreless tie early in the second half, with 33:41 to play. Jarvais took a pass from the middle of the field from Kyla Harvie and fired a shot from 20 yards out and to the left of the net. Jarvais’ shot found the right corner to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
“I just trusted my instinct. Coaches said far shots would work, so I shot it,” Jarvais said. “We were ready. Our shots were on frame, and our defense helped us big time.”
Harvie’s goal on a penalty kick with 22:51 left gave Windham the two-goal lead that would stand. Harvie’s shot went to the lower-left corner.
Both teams had opportunities to score in the first half, but couldn’t convert. Falmouth’s Josie D’Andrea fired a high shot toward the upper-right corner with 12:30 left in the first half, but the ball sailed over the net. With under two minutes left, Windham’s Stella Jarvais had a strong shot on a header off a corner kick, but Navigators goalie Madison VerLee made the save. VerLee finished with four saves.
“We have had trouble scoring all season, but second half of the season, the goals have come a little easier,” Lebel said. “We knew they play tight defense around the middle. They’re a talented group.”
Over the final 20 minutes, Falmouth was able to sustain more of an attack as it became more aggressive trying to rally from a two-goal deficit. Windham goalie Alejandra Hidell made three of her six saves down the stretch to preserve the shutout.
“We weren’t winning any of the 50/50 balls we needed to continue to go forward. They got pushback in our half and kept us there,” Falmouth Coach Ben Johnson said. “We had some opportunities, and their keeper came up big.”
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