CAPE ELIZABETH — Maggie Cochran broke a scoreless tie at the eight-minute mark of the second half for the lone score as Cape Elizabeth kept Freeport off the board with a 1-0 win in girls high school soccer action on Tuesday.
Freeport’s Carly Intraversato races up the field during the first half of Tuesday’s Western Maine Conference girls high school soccer game in Cape Elizabeth. The Capers nipped the Falcons, 1-0. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
In the early season battle of the two Western Maine Conference foes, the Capers gained valuable heal points with their fourth win in five games. Freeport suffered its first loss of the season, dropping to 5-1.
It was Freeport’s fifth road game through six to start the season, and they will travel to Wells on Thursday (6 p.m.)
“It’s been a tough schedule, six of our first seven games are away, to be 5-1 right now, we’re pretty pleased,” Freeport coach David Intraversato said. “You look at the schedule with Yarmouth, York and Cape and we were looking to win two out of three and we did.”
The Falcons defeated Yarmouth (1-0) and York (2-0) last week.
The Capers began gaining field position midway through the opening frame and at the 18-minute mark, Cochran took a shot at the net, but her boot clipped the right-side post resulting in a goal kick. Minutes later, Cape’s Karli Chapin worked her way through the Falcons defense and put a shot on goal. Freeport keeper Leah Rusiecki made the save, but before she could secure the ball, it slipped behind her, fortunately the junior was able to get her arm on it before it crossed the line.
Rusiecki made all four stops she faced in net, including a pair that the keeper had to extend her arms above her head to make the save.
“Leah made some great saves,” Intraversato said. “Having height like that is helpful.”
Despite a couple of pushes up the field, Freeport was unable to get a shot on goal in the opening half.
“They beat us in the 50/50 balls and we didn’t pass well. Our passes were not at the feet. We were kind of out of our game,” Intraversato said about the slow start. “We are a team that likes to shoot from the outside, but we weren’t shooting. You can’t score if you don’t shoot.”
Second half goal
In the opening minutes of the second frame, Cape miss an opportunity to score after Rusiecki turned away a Laura Ryer shot set up from a Caroline Gentile pass and then a Cochran blast from 10-yards out that went just wide. In the middle of all the defensive action was Freeport’s Tara Migliaccio, keeping the Capers from getting any clean shots on her goalie.
“Tara was sensational today,” Intraversato said. “She’s the heartbeat of the team, I don’t know what we would do without her.”
Migliaccio credits her teammates and the familiarity they have with one another for the defense that has allowed only four goals through six games thus far.
“My center back (Sarah Gray) and I work well together, we have nailed down our communication,” Migliaccio said. “A lot of us seniors have played together since we were little, we know how each other play.”
With a little over 32 minutes on the clock, a Chapin crisp cross pass to Cochran ended in the game’s only score, beating Rusiecki for the eventual game winner.
Scoring 15 goals through the first five games of the year, the Falcons were in unfamiliar territory without a tally on the scoreboard.
Fifteen minutes in, the Falcons recorded their first shot on goal with a 25-yard direct kick from Carly Intraversato that was stopped by Capers goalie Katie Haines.
Freeport was unsuccessful in its two shots on net, but it was a kick from Catriona Gould with just over two minutes remaining that had the Freeport bench gasping. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the shot went over the net.
Cape finished the game outshooting Freeport, 12-2, while the visitors held a slight advantage in corner kicks, 4-3. Rusiecki ended with 10 saves in net.
The loss will be a learning tool for the Falcons, something coach Intraversato feels will help drive home his point.
“We know we can play with (Cape), but I just stressed to the girls that if we’re not playing our game we’re not going to win. I just can’t wait to go home play some home games,” smiled the coach.
“We have them again and we’ll be ready. We struggled today, but we know how they play so we’ll be able to adjust,” Miglicaccio said as Freeport hosts the Capers on Oct. 19 in the regular season finale.
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