The No. 6 Falcons’ Lily Johnston led her teammates in keeping up early with their No. 3 Yarmouth hosts on Wednesday, June 8, but Johnston & Co.’s efforts proved insufficient as the game progressed and the Clippers pulled away for a 15-5 W in the end.

“Yarmouth was definitely the toughest draw of the tournament,” said Freeport head coach Marcia Wood of her team’s entering the postseason bracketing ranked as they were, “and we were really hoping the stay away from them longer, but luck didn’t go our way. It’s hard to see them first round.”

In fact, the Falcons jumped out to a quick lead in the quarterfinal bout; Johnston tallied the point, assisted by Lindsay Cartmell, and though the Clippers’ Lily Watson soon tied things up, the match continued to look relatively balanced for several minutes.

“I was proud of how we came out playing,” said Wood. “We were getting aggressive in the ground balls and keeping with them.”

Yarmouth slipped ahead 25 seconds later – Eliza Lunt’s first goal of four on the day – but Freeporter Taylor Rinaldi answered in turn, and Falcons fans across the stadium continued to hold their collective breath.

But the Clippers hashed three more before Johnston earned another, this time on a feed from Taylor Dostie. The Falcons’ hopes started to unravel.

“Scoring first was a big boost, but to hang with a team like Yarmouth you have to play a full game and we didn’t,” Wood said. “Yarmouth took advantage of that … [They’re] well-conditioned and their shots were tough for us to defend.”

Yarmouth amassed a bevy more goals as the first half wound toward the break, and another smattering in the downhill minutes. Freeport simply couldn’t keep up, and their second-half effort wasn’t up to the standard they’d set for themselves at the start.

“Second half we came out flat,” Wood said, “and the more Yarmouth scored, the more defeated we felt; then came the mistakes because we panicked. Can’t make turnovers in games.”

Cartmell also scored for the Falcons in the contest, as did Courtney Broderick. Freeport retires for the year at 5-8.

“Our conference is strong,” Wood said of the season as a whole, “but we also didn’t see a lot of the teams that were seeded ahead of us. I think we could’ve won more games if that was the case.

“The season was up and down. We played some good lacrosse at some points but we also played some not-so-good lacrosse, and that cost us. We’re still relatively young, and my sophomore class is already tired of losing to Yarmouth, so hopefully that drives them into next year.”

Freeporter Jessie Driscoll splits a pair of Yarmouth opponents as she drives the attack forward.

Freeporter Taylor Rinaldi carries the ball upfield and into Yarmouth’s zone.

The Falcons’ Lindsay Cartmell tracks a Yarmouth opponent, last Wednesday.

Freeporter Chloe Davidson pushes ’round a Yarmouth defender.

Freeporters Lindsay Cartmell, left, and Lily Johnston celebrate after teaming up for the Falcons’ first goal.

Falcon Courtney Broderick jukes around a Yarmouth opponent in the teams’ quarterfinals bout on Wednesday, June 8.