FALMOUTH – Cassie Darrow scored on a breakaway during the 17th minute, and that’s all it took to turn what promised to be a close game into a rout.

After playing two one-goal games against No. 6 Yarmouth during the regular season, No. 3 Falmouth rolled to a 4-0 win against the Clippers in a Western Class B girls soccer quarterfinal Tuesday night.

The Yachtsmen, the defending state champions, will travel Saturday to play No. 2 York in a regional semifinal.

“That goal gave the girls some confidence,” Falmouth Coach Wally LeBlanc said.

“Up until that point, I kind of felt Yarmouth held the play in the game. They were winning 50-50 balls. Maybe that goal settled us down a little bit. We started to go back to the things we know how to do.”

Until Darrow scored on Falmouth’s first deep foray into Yarmouth’s end of the field, the game mirrored the two games the teams played against each other during the regular season, when each team registered 1-0 victories.

“I actually felt this game was similar to those two games in the beginning,” said LeBlanc, a veteran coach in his first season at Falmouth.

“Really, Yarmouth was playing high-pressure. They were playing very competitively and controlled the game early.”

But the complexion of the game changed when Darrow beat the defense to Maddie Inlow’s long lead pass and sent a blast from inside the bubble into the left side of the goal at 17:30.

“It was our first shot on goal, and it was a goal,” LeBlanc said.

“That goal gave them a lot of confidence,” Yarmouth Coach Rich Smith said. “We kind of got back on our heels for the next 15 minutes or so.”

Less than three minutes after Darrow’s goal, Alex Bernier converted a feed from Angela Mullis into a 2-0 lead.

Following a restart in the left corner, Mullis sent the ball to the opposite wing. After getting past one defender, Bernier rolled in a shot from 10 yards.

With 18 seconds left in the first half, Caitlin Bucksbaum floated a direct kick into the upper left-hand  from more than 30 yards out into the right side of the goal to give the Yachtsmen a 3-0 lead.
It was too much for the Clippers (7-9) to overcome.

“We haven’t scored many goals this year, so to get down three at halftime was really tough,” Smith said. “It was a real big hole to climb out of, but I proud of the way my girls hung in there and played hard to the end.”

Less than three minutes into the second half, Bernier completed the scoring when she turned a crossing pass from Darrow into her second goal of the game.
Falmouth (10-4-1) held an 18-7 edge in shots.

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at: pbetit@pressherald.com

Twitter: PaulBetitPPH

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