FALMOUTH — Mikey Richards discovered the value of getting to the front of the net and being in the right place at the right time Wednesday night.
Richards converted a long shot into the winning goal with three seconds remaining to lift Falmouth to a 4-3 victory against Greely in a Western Maine Conference field hockey game played under a steady rain.
Additional Photos
“The goal came off an incredible shot from Megan Fortier,” Richards said. “It tipped off a Greely stick and I was right on the post and able to tap it in.”
The goal capped a back-and-forth struggle that saw both teams generate good opportunities.
“It gives us confidence,” Richards said. “We always know that Greely comes to play and they’re obviously a big rival, so we take it as an important game. I think this is definitely a game that shows other teams that we’re here to play, we mean business and we’re not a team to be taken lightly.”
Greely (2-1) scored less than 10 minutes in. Erica Porter provided the finishing touch on a nifty three-way passing play that included CeCi Hodgkins and Jessica Wilson to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
Falmouth (2-0-1) recovered with back-to-back goals by Jillian Rothweiler. The goals, scored in quick succession and similar fashion off tight-in opportunities, came 3:16 apart.
“It was an exciting game because we’re such rivals with Greely,” Rothweiler said. “My goals were kind of lucky shots but (they) kept us in there.”
The Yachtsmen continued to pressure for the remainder of the half but were turned aside by the Rangers’ defense and had to settle for a 2-1 lead at the break.
Greely also set the pace to start the second half, scoring after 2:18 to make it 2-2 on a goal by Helena McMonagle.
It remained 2-2 until midway through the half when Fortier restored Falmouth’s lead.
Fortier didn’t connect on her first shot attempt but got all of the second swing, blistering the ball to the back of the net to give the Yachtsmen a 3-2 lead.
The Rangers answered 10 minutes later. Cassie Demick played a ball to the front of the net where Paige Tuller converted to make it 3-3 and set the stage for Richards’ late winner.
“I think every game is a measure game for us,” said Falmouth Coach Robin Haley.
“Obviously when we’re playing against Greely, it absolutely is because they’re considered one of the top teams in our conference this year. This is certainly a big boost of confidence for our girls.”
“We’ll definitely treat (the late goal) as something we’ve worked on all season — every single ball counts,” Greely Coach Kristina Lane-Prescott said. “You can’t let a ball go off the side line, the end line, you can’t let it go across you. You have to hustle on every single ball and that’s what happened. You just can’t let up, not even a little bit.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.