FALMOUTH — Sure, Drew Noyes had imagined the possibility. But to actually pitch a shutout in a lacrosse game, and one that punched Falmouth’s ticket to the Class A state final?
“It’s amazing,” said Falmouth’s junior goalie in the aftermath of a 2-0 victory over Windham in the Class A North final Wednesday night. “The feeling is indescribable.”
The top-seeded Navigators (12-3) mustered just enough offense to overcome an impressive defensive effort from No. 2 Windham (9-6) as they qualified for their fourth consecutive appearance in the Class A championship game. They will face Cape Elizabeth on Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
Noyes needed 12 saves to post the first shutout of his high school career. Windham goalie Reed Wescott made 16 saves and remained perfect until the final seconds of the first half.
After a long stretch with a two-man advantage, Falmouth finally converted with a one-man advantage when senior Robby Drum fed sophomore Caden Barnard from 12 yards out, directly in front of the net. Barnard’s goal came with 4.4 seconds left in the second quarter.
It remained 1-0 until late in the third quarter, when Drum – once again working from behind the Windham net – saw sophomore Cyrus Boothby pop free near the goal mouth. A quick pass, a quick shot, and Falmouth’s lead had doubled with 3:30 remaining in the third.
“I don’t think (Wescott) saw the pass,” Drum said. “Their defense was really good. We weren’t taking them lightly at all.”
Windham and Falmouth met on this same artificial turf in early May and the Navigators came away with a 7-6 victory. Both coaches expected a similarly close game, if not such a low-scoring affair.
“Both teams play really well defensively and both have good goalies,” Windham Coach Pete Small said. “I don’t know that I expected two goals total from these two teams. I don’t know that anybody would have expected two goals total. But it was a good defensive matchup.”
Windham racked up nine penalties and Falmouth had two. The Navigators dominated in time of possession, but both teams found few open shooting lanes. Falmouth defenders Indi Backman, Cooper Bush, Ben Wentworth and Luke Crowder made sure Windham attackers couldn’t get close enough to Noyes to do much damage. Midfielders Max Hau and Cooper Tinto also pitched in on defense.
“We looked good out there, but that’s because if they don’t get an excellent look, it’s not going to go in,” Bush said. “We have to get beat bad for them to get a shot that might go in on Drew. He’s really incredible.”
There was a confusing moment with a little more than four minutes remaining, when Windham’s William Woolston picked up a loose ball and fired it past Noyes into the net. However, the play had been blown dead moments earlier because Falmouth was offsides.
Earlier in the quarter, Windham sophomore Blake McPherson whipped a shot past Noyes that caught the crossbar and bounced away. The Eagles had one final opportunity, but Noyes denied Alex Yeaton in the last minute.
“We knew they were going to make us earn it, and they did,” Falmouth Coach Dave Barton said. “That’s a really good team that belongs in the upper echelon now.”
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