FALMOUTH—Falmouth’s surging girls’ lacrosse team took to its home turf Wednesday afternoon a heavy favorite against visiting Massabesic in a Class A state preliminary round contest.

And the second-seeded Navigators went out and did exactly what they wanted to against the 15th-ranked Mustangs.

Put them away early.

Falmouth, behind a potent and balanced attack, took a 7-0 lead before the game was 12 minutes old, went up, 11-1, at the half, then never looked back in a second half played with a running clock as they went on to an emphatic 16-2 victory.

Junior Peaches Stucker led the way with four goals, senior Lucy Taylor added a pair, including the 100th point of her career, and eight different Navigators tickled the twine in all as Falmouth won its 14th game in a row, improved to 14-1, ended Massabesic’s season at 3-12 and in the process, advanced to host No. 7 Biddeford (11-4) in the state quarterfinals Saturday at 1 p.m.

“I was really pleased with how we came out of gates fast and hungry and ready to put some goals on the board,” said Navigators coach Ashley Pullen. “We had amazing balance today.”

Step one

After losing to Yarmouth in the Class A North Final a year ago, Falmouth returned this spring determined to go all the way and with senior Sloane Ginevan healthy (she missed the playoffs a year ago with a knee injury) and with Taylor back with the program after spending her junior year in Washington D.C. at the U.S. Senate Page School, the Navigators are viewed as an elite team and have lived up to billing (see sidebar for links to previous stories).

After losing at home to Kennebunk in the opener, Falmouth rattled off 13 straight victories, by an average of nearly a dozen goals per game. Only once in that stretch, a 10-9 win at Greely, were the Navigators pushed to the brink and as a result, they wound up second in Class A, behind Kennebunk.

Massabesic, a perennial contender, has a very young roster this spring and against a daunting schedule the Mustangs went just 3-11, but after an 0-9 start, they won three of their final five games, including their final two, to earn the final playoff berth in Class A.

On May 24, host Falmouth dispatched Massabesic, 20-6, as Taylor scored seven goals, Ginevan added five and Clement scored four times. Sophomore Lydia DesRochers paced the Mustangs with three goals.

The teams had met just once prior in the playoffs, in the 2018 Class A state final, where Falmouth broke through to win the program’s first title, 10-7.

Wednesday, on an overcast, breezy and chilly afternoon (62 degrees at the start), in front of an interested group of Kennebunk players and coaches on hand to scout them, the Navigators took control of the game quickly and kept the good times rolling.

Massabesic sophomore Mackenzie Nason won the opening draw and the Mustangs had a long first possession, but couldn’t muster a shot and at the other end, with 22:53 to go in the first half, in transition, Ginevan set up sophomore Keira Alcock for a goal which put Falmouth on top to stay.

After Mustangs sophomore goalie Belle Auger robbed Stucker, sophomore Maisy Clement scored on a free position with 18:43 on the clock.

A mere 21 seconds later, Ginevan collected a loose ball in front and fired it into the net.

Alcock then intercepted a pass and fed Ginevan for another goal and a 4-0 advantage with 16:56 still to play in the first half.

Just 23 seconds later, Clement set up Taylor for her first goal and after Taylor assisted on a goal by senior Adelaide Tolley with 15:13 left, Stucker fought her way through the defense and scored unassisted with 13:32 showing to extend the lead to a commanding 7-0.

“(Sloane and I) were met with faceguards at the start and I think that was the best thing for our offense, to test everybody else,” Taylor said. “It made us better. We had to work off each other. It’s good to see a different type of defense.”

The Mustangs got on the board with 11:59 to go in the first half, on a free position shot from Desrochers.

Falmouth immediately countered, as Stucker set up sophomore Maeve Ginevan for her first goal with 11:09 remaining and 15 seconds later, after a draw win by Taylor, Clement scored unassisted to make it 9-1.

Auger did her best to keep Massabesic within hailing distance, denying shots from Maeve Ginevan and sophomore Audrey Farnham, but with 7:15 left, the Stucker-to-Maeve Ginevan connection produced another goal and with 1:43 on the clock, Stucker’s free position gave the Navigators an 11-1 halftime advantage.

Taylor won 11 of 13 draws in the first half and Falmouth had a 17-2 edge in shots.

With the 10-goal mercy rule running clock in effect, the second half went quickly, but there was one notable moment.

Just 27 seconds in, Taylor took a pass from Clement, then ripped a shot into the net for her 100th career point.

Considering Taylor missed her freshman season due to COVID, then was away her junior campaign, that’s a pretty impressive accomplishment.

“I didn’t even know about it, but (getting 100 points) is awesome,” Taylor said. “I knew about my goals this year, but I forgot sophomore year existed for me. It was a long time ago. There was a lot of growth in a couple years for me. This team is so awesome to play with.”

“It’s been a gift to have Lucy back,” Pullen said. “She has absolutely raised the level of play on the team. Every day, she challenges the defense to be better. She comes up with defensive steals and wins so many draws. She’s a huge asset on every single inch of the field. I can’t say enough about what she’s meant to the program this year.”

After junior Marleigh Roy got a goal back for the visitors, on a free position shot with 19:18 remaining, Desrochers hit the post, then was denied by Falmouth senior goalie Patty Riley.

With 10:08 to go, Stucker again found Maeve Ginevan for a goal and a 13-2 lead.

With 6:53 left, Stucker scored on a one-timer off a feed from junior Coco Bruder.

With 1:55 on the clock, freshman Jaelyn Meader converted a free position, then with 41.9 seconds remaining, Maeve Ginevan returned the favor and set up Stucker for the final goal in a 16-2 victory.

“It’s exciting to me that Kennebunk was here watching us,” Taylor said. “I think we’ve made strides since we played them. It’s a confidence thing. Now our confidence is huge.”

The Navigators’ offensive balance was overwhelming to the Mustangs.

Stucker had a game-high four goals, Maeve Ginevan added three, Clement, Sloane Ginevan and Taylor all finished with two and Alcock, Meader and Tolley also scored.

Ten of Falmouth’s goals came with assists, as Stucker also led the way in that category with three, Clement had a pair and Alcock, Bruder, Maeve Ginevan, Sloane Ginevan and Taylor all added one.

“We had nine different scorers,” Taylor said. “That’s so awesome. Other players have to step up during playoffs. I’m really proud of everyone. The ball movement lifts everybody up.”

“I’m really proud of our attacking unit in terms of how we spread out the scoring,” Pullen said. “We showed you can take away Sloane and Lucy, but we have other players who can score goals.”

Riley made two saves.

Taylor won 13 of 16 draws, helping the Navigators hold a 17-3 advantage in that important category.

Falmouth also won the ground ball battle, 39-11 (Stucker led the way with 10 and Taylor had eight), had a huge 31-6 shots advantage (25-4 on cage) and overcame 15 turnovers.

Massabesic got goals from Desrochers and Roy, seven saves from Auger, two from senior Aleya Fogg (who came on late) and turned the ball over 18 times.

Desrochers had a team-high four ground balls.

“I think it’s a two-team race (Kennebunk and Falmouth) this year,” said Mustangs coach Jason Tremblay. “Falmouth moves the ball tremendously all over the field. It’s not just (Sloane and Lucy). They have a lot of complements around them. They’re very good.

“From where we started to where we ended up this year, I’m very proud, We didn’t have a gimme game. We had a really tough schedule and it made us stronger. We have to get back to work and we will.”

Hold that Tiger

Falmouth’s first win of the season and of its streak came April 28, 17-5 at Biddeford. Sloane Ginevan had five goals in that game, while Stucker added three.

The teams have no postseason history.

“Having the win streak and being on our homefield is huge for us,” Taylor said. “We’re comfortable here. The seniors are focused. I think we’re ready, but we’re taking it one game at a time. I expect a lot of hustle. We’ll have to come out of the gates strong.”

“To think about where we were the first of the season to where we are now, I think we’ve undergone a ton of growth and come into our own,” said Pullen. “We’ve diversified our team in terms of the threats we have and we’ve sharpened our defense. Biddeford’s a really tough, athletic, scrappy team. I expect them to come out fired up and like most underdogs, like they have nothing to lose. They’ll come in hungry, but I also know that we’ll come in with the same calm confidence we had today. We believe in ourselves. I think this team absolutely has what it takes to a win a state championship.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.

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