WINDHAM – Freshmen have been a big part of the Windham High girls’ soccer team’s success, and they came through in a big way Saturday.

Luisa Sbardella scored two goals, Jenna Soucy had another, and Jordan Sargent dished out three assists to lead the eighth- ranked Eagles past ninth-seeded South Portland 3-0 in a Western Class A prelim.

“Our freshmen have been a huge factor for us and have contributed a lot,” Windham Coach Deb Lebel said. “They bring a lot to this team and really strengthen the whole field.

Windham’s aggressive, well-balanced offense scored first when Sbardella took a pass from Sargent near the left side of the 18 and unleashed a kick that sailed in with a little over 10 minutes left in the first half.

The Eagles (12-3) continued to control the tempo against the Red Riots (6-7-2) and apply pressure in the second half, and Soucy made it 2-0 on a rebound at 25:43.

Sbardella scored again from the left side off a pass from Sargent with 1:19 to play.

Windham held a 21-10 advantage in shots and was aggressive throughout.

“It was a playoff atmosphere. We’re not afraid to be physical, but what we focused on was to keep the field spread, keep possession and score early. We executed all of those,” Lebel said.

Both goalkeepers played well and denied opportunities. Domonique Smith of South Portland made 10 saves on the Eagles’ 21 shots and Amber Verrill of Windham stopped seven of the Red Riots’ 10 shots.

Windham (12-3) will play Tuesday at top-ranked and undefeated Gorham (14-0), which scored a second-half goal for a 2-1 victory against the Eagles in their last meeting Sept. 26.

“We made some adjustments in our last meeting with Gorham and we played them a very close second half,” Lebel said.

She also said her team tightened things up from its last meeting with South Portland, a 3-2 victory, and this was a crisper and better-played game — something it hopes to continue against Gorham.

“My kids want a second chance at Gorham,” she said. “They’ve lost to them every year going through, and they’re hungry for this win.”