Wes Parker’s late-game goal on a rebound gave Cape Elizabeth a winning edge in Freeport Friday afternoon, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory in which a persistent Capers’ attack overcame a solid Freeport Falcons’ defense.

“We had a lot of possession, all over the field,” Cape head coach Ben Raymond said. “We just weren’t as dangerous as we’d like to be. We were really good in the midfield third build-up, but not as good in the offensive third.

“But it’s hot, it’s our first game; there’s a lot to be said about having a lot of possession.”

“I’m pleased with the effort,” Freeport head coach Joe Heathco said. “The boys worked their tails off the whole game, so I’m thrilled about that. And that’s the key.

“We worked through the preseason, and it was a little rough in patches, so I’m really pleased where we’ve come just in the past 10 days. To be playing this organized, picking up, talking better – that’s a big deal.

“I’m pretty disappointed with the result right now, but there’s things to take from it.”

Cape generated strong offense in the first half – the struggle for control played out largely at midfield and in Freeport’s zone – but the Falcons’ defense thwarted one Capers’ advance after another.

“You’ve got to defend,” Heathco said. “They’ve got players who are big, strong, fast; they’re talented all over the place; they swamped the middle of the field, which caused a lot of problems for us; and they move the ball well. So yeah, we ended up in our end.

“But we made some good adjustments, especially in the second half, when we weren’t just kicking the ball to relieve pressure. Started to think a little more about where to put the ball, and hitting feet, and then creating – because they attacked so many numbers, they were really open to counters.”

When his protection occasionally proved permeable, Freeport keeper Brendan Qualls stood strong, turning a pair of picturesque dive-saves, charging expertly out of net to bust up a Capers’ rebound chance, and grabbing a couple loose balls to sabotage Cape’s setup attempts.

“He’s a terrific athlete, and he’s worked so hard to get better,” Heathco said of Qualls. “He weighs all of 140 pounds – at least, he did last year; I think he’s up a good 20 pounds from that. He’s worked really hard, physically.

“He did a great job today…but I can see him being even better. We’re going to count on Brendan doing a good job for us.

“He’s the nicest kid you’ll ever meet. So I have to tell him, ‘On the soccer field, it’s not always about being nice. You’ve gotta be in charge; it’s your space – you’ve gotta be a little mean.”

Midway through the latter 40 minutes, the Capers finally broke the deadlock. The ball squirted left out of a post-corner-kick fray, and Noah Haversat snatched it up and shoveled it back across – throwing Qualls off-balance – to Connor Thoreck, who pulled the trigger on a wide-open net for 1-0.

Still, Freeport maintained their composure, Qualls leading by example when he followed up the goal with more aggressive forays out of the cage to grab the ball and halt Cape offensives. Ten minutes later, the Falcons’ defense-as-the-best-offense got them back in the game, when Jack Davenport fed Chandler Wyman, who broke away, beat his lone defender and then beat Caper goalie Andrew Kelly. 1-1.

“They did a good job,” Raymond said of the opposition. “They worked hard the entire time; they didn’t give up, fought hard and then they score that break.

“I’m sure if you asked our defenders, they would tell you what they would do differently next time in that situation. That’s what we do; they will learn from it, and get better.”

In the next nine minutes, Freeport applied additional offensive pressure on indirect and corner kicks. They couldn’t capitalize, however, and with just three to play, Cape turned the tide for good. Eddie Galvin dumped the ball on Qualls, who blocked the initial shot but couldn’t save Parker’s rebound, which put the Capers on top 2-1.

“We did a great job of not getting down on ourselves after they tied it up, and came down and put it away,” Raymond said. “That’s probably what we’re most pleased with today.”

Cape tries to make it two in a row on Tuesday, Sept. 9, when they host York at 6 p.m., after the newspaper’s deadline. Freeport looks to turn their fortunes around when they host Sacopee Valley, also on Tuesday, at 3:30 in the afternoon.

Cape Elizabeth senior Cole Caswell settles the ball on the field at Freeport Friday afternoon.Freeport’s Caleb Abbott and Cape’s Wes Parker clash over control at midfield Friday.Cape’s Griffin Thoreck throws his weight into Freeport’s Jack Davenport near midfield.Noah Haversat rips a shot for Cape toward Freeport keep Brendan Qualls.

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