FALMOUTH – Falmouth and Gray-New Gloucester handled the disruption of a 30-minute delay for lightning and heavy rain to play a tight Western Class B boys’ soccer quarterfinal Wednesday night.
The only difference was Cooper Lycan’s goal from in front that gave Falmouth a 1-0 victory.
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The third-ranked Yachtsmen (10-4-1) advanced to the semifinals Saturday against No. 2 Maranacook or No. 7 Fryeburg Academy, who were rained out and will play today.
Lycan scored with 23:40 to go. He chipped in a pass from the left side by Johnny Goodrich. It was his first goal of the season.
“Johnny hit a cross and I was in the right place at the right time,” said Lycan. “Their goalie really didn’t have a chance. The conditions were brutal. The ball was skipping on the turf. We got the win and that’s what counts.”
Falmouth has a new turf field made to handle these types of conditions. Had the game been played on Falmouth’s old grass field, the mud most likely would have forced a postponement until today.
The game was stopped with 18:52 remaining in the first half shortly after lightning flashed in the distance, followed by a rumble of thunder.
National rules require a 30-minute wait after lightning is seen.
Sixth-seeded Gray-New Gloucester (9-5) applied strong pressure in the final five minutes in what turned out to be end-to-end action.
“I liked the way we played,” said Falmouth Coach Dave Halligan, “but I have to give a lot of credit to Gray. They played hard and took a lot of things away. They’re a strong, well-coached team.
“My players didn’t quit or get frustrated and played well in lousy conditions. In weather like this, it makes you a little worried because you have to capitalize on the chances you get.”
In the regular season, Falmouth beat the Patriots 2-1 in double overtime at Gray.
“We told our corners to watch out for Sam White. Falmouth likes to send him in the box on corners,” said Gray-New Gloucester Coach Mike Dehetre. “We had someone on him but we left the kid on the left unmarked.”
Falmouth carried most of the action through the first half and parts of the second before the Patriots stepped up.
Falmouth outshot the Patriots 13-5 and had an 11-3 advantage in corners. Goalies Ben Goffin of Falmouth and Ryan Cavallaro of the Patriots had five saves apiece.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
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