KENNEBUNK—It was a game nearly devoid of scoring, but not of drama.

And ultimately, not of seismic historic impact either.

Friday afternoon, Falmouth’s girls’ lacrosse team made the trip south to take on a three-time reigning state champion Kennebunk Rams squad which hadn’t lost a game in nearly five years.

But all good things must end.

And suddenly, Class A South has a new favorite.

The Navigators scored three times in the first quarter, as senior standout Peaches Stucker set up senior Mallory Kerr, junior Maisy Clement and junior Audrey Farnham for goals and a 3-2 lead.

When Stucker fed freshman sensation Riley Davis for a goal 35 seconds into the second period, Falmouth had momentum, but the Navigators wouldn’t tickle the twine again the rest of the game.

And it didn’t matter, as Falmouth’s defense was sensational and finished the job.

The Rams did get a goal back in the waning seconds of the third quarter, when senior captain Mara Muse scored on a free position shot, but junior goalie Amelia Brann and the Navigators preserved their slim advantage and were able to drain nearly the final three minutes to run out the clock on a 4-3 victory.

The Navigators improved to 10-0, dropped Kennebunk to 9-1 and in the process, ended the Rams’ mindboggling, likely-never-to-be-matched 58-game win streak.

“It feels great to say it’s finally our turn to beat them,” said Stucker, who had four assists and was a force all over the field. “I’m friends with half that team and I see them every summer. They’re always the team to beat. We’ve had great teams come and go and we hadn’t been able to beat them, but this is a special team.”

The Falmouth Giantkillers

Both teams have been dominant this season and this collision was highly anticipated.

Kennebunk began by dispatching Windham (17-3), two-time Class B champion Greely (15-4), Gorham (17-4), Cape Elizabeth (14-3) and Portland (19-5), then held on for a palpitating 8-7 victory at Yarmouth, in a rematch of last year’s state final. The Rams then went back to their ways of dominance, handling Biddeford (14-0), York (15-5) and Marshwood (18-6).

Falmouth started with a 15-5 home win over Thornton Academy, then made a statement with an 8-7 home win over Yarmouth, the team which upset the Navigators in last year’s Class A state semifinals. Falmouth then defeated host Scarborough (15-3), host York (12-3), visiting Gorham (12-5), visiting Greely (10-3), host Oxford Hills (17-4), host Cheverus (10-8) and visiting Biddeford (8-6).

Wednesday evening, less than 48 hours previous, Falmouth’s boys’ lacrosse team went to Cape Elizabeth and ended the Capers’ 32-game win streak and the Navigators girls took the baton from there.

“After the boys beat Cape, with our whole entire team there, we knew we had to do it,” said Stucker.

“We all had a feeling when the boys knocked off Cape Wednesday,” said Navigators coach Ashley Pullen. “We had the mantra, ‘This is the week to break the streaks.’ The girls had tons of energy and momentum coming in because of that. We knew we had nothing to lose and we could put it all on the line. It was an opportunity to learn and Kennebunk’s a great team.”

Last year, Kennebunk rolled to an early-season 12-1 win at Falmouth and the teams never met again.

Friday, on a very comfortable afternoon (65 degrees at the onset), in front of a large crowd, Kennebunk’s defense did enough to extend its win streak to 59, but instead, the Navigators beat the Rams for the first time since June 15, 2019 (5-3, in the Class A state final), in an eerily similar affair.

Falmouth started quickly, as Davis won the initial draw and 50 seconds in, Stucker set up Kerr for a shot which eluded Kennebunk sophomore Brielle Thompson.

The Rams quickly countered, as sophomore Helen Kennie set up sophomore Camdyn Keenan for the tying goal with 9:26 on the clock.

Then, with 7:48 left, Keenan found Muse for a low shot which got past freshman Tessa Woodbury, who started in goal for the Navigators.

After Thompson denied junior Keira Alcock on a free position, she robbed Davis, but Woodbury flustered Kennebunk at the other end, denying Muse.

With 1:38 to go in the opening stanza, Stucker passed to Clement, who fought through the defense and finished to tie the score.

After senior Ella Highbarger came off for two minutes after receiving a yellow card, Falmouth ended the quarter strong, as Stucker fed Farnham for the goal which put Falmouth in front to stay with 26.5 seconds remaining.

Thirty-five seconds into the second quarter, Stucker found Davis for a goal and the score was 4-2.

“I think they underestimated our ability to have everyone score,” Stucker said. “They gave me room to pass. They fixed it eventually, but it was too late because our defense had them on lockdown.”

“Peaches impacts the game everywhere,” said Pullen. “She was devastated because she broke her stick head two days ago. She’s playing with a stick that she bought yesterday and it’s not the same as the one she had broken in, but her performance was great. It was heroic, given the circumstances.”

And that would be it for the Navigators’ offensive production.

After Muse just missed on a couple of good looks, senior captain Ivy Armentrout hit the post.

Falmouth had their chances as well late in the half, but Alcock rang a free position shot off the post, then missed just wide, sending the contest to the break with the Navigators up by two.

If goals were at a premium in the first half, they were nearly non-existent in the second, as a pair of superb defenses reigned supreme.

Falmouth turned the ball over eight times in the third quarter and didn’t muster a shot and as a result, the Rams had ample opportunity to cut into the deficit, but after a defender knocked away a free position shot from Keenan, Brann, who entered the game at the start of the half, robbed Armentrout on a free position, then Muse missed just wide on the doorstep.

After Brann denied consecutive shots from Muse, Alcock came off with a yellow card and Kennebunk capitalized, after getting a break.

With time winding down, Muse shot and scored, but the whistle had blown before the shot, meaning the clock should have continued running and had that happened, it would have expired.

But instead, the clock stopped on the apparent goal and Muse had time to attempt a free position, which she buried with just 9.5 seconds showing, and just like that, the Rams, who snapped an uncharacteristic 31 minute, 39 second scoring drought, had momentum going to the fourth period, down by just a goal, 4-3.

Just 24 seconds into the final stanza, Muse set up Armentrout for a sure tying goal, but Brann came up huge and made the stop.

With 7:51 to go, Falmouth mustered its first shot of the half and it was promising, but Davis’ bid was denied by Thompson.

After senior Keara Battagliese missed just high, Highbarger and Stucker alternated yellow cards.

Kennebunk couldn’t draw even with Stucker sidelined, however, as it turned the ball over and senior Morgan Adams pounced on the loose ball, giving the Navigators possession they would never relinquish.

After Pullen took timeout, Falmouth was able to transition the ball to the offensive end and then Clement, Davis and Stucker took turns running around to drain the clock.

And at 6:23 p.m., the horn sounded and the Navigators exulted over their 4-3 victory.

“It feels so satisfying,” said Adams. “We worked so hard for this. Kennebunk’s a great team for sure. I think it was overall pride for our town this week. The boys beat Cape and we didn’t have anything to lose. When people said it couldn’t be done, we wanted to get it done. We went quarter by quarter, 12 minutes at a time. We won the first quarter and the second quarter. The third quarter, we dipped down and we didn’t want the end the game like that, so we brought our energy back up in the fourth. At the end, I shed a few tears. My low D partner, (sophomore) Kate (Swallow), I ran up to her and said, ‘We did it. We snapped the streak.'”

“We knew we could stall, no matter the defense, and that’s what we did,” Stucker said. “I heard the bench call out (10 seconds left) and I couldn’t stop smiling. I told my Dad that if we won, he wouldn’t see a smile come off my face for days. Before the game, Morgan picked up a penny and it was heads up and we took that as a great sign.”

“There’s the state championships, then this one is right behind,” added Pullen. “To do it here, on their field. They’re such an incredible team. It takes so much to have a streak like that. They hadn’t lost since pre-COVID. We spent some time in practice the other day talking about the 2019 state game and how it was our defense that won the championship. We looked back at that game for inspiration for this one.”

Clement, Davis, Farnham and Kerr scored a goal apiece and Stucker had four assists and that was it for Falmouth’s offense, as it went scoreless the final 35 minutes, 25 seconds of the contest.

“I never would have thought that would have been enough offense, but it was just enough to win the game,” Pullen said.

That’s because the Navigators defense played a game for the ages.

“We had to do it as a unit and we did,” said Adams. “They have an awesome offense. We knew that Ivy crease rolls really well and Mara has those low shots, but we practiced bodying up and crashing hard.”

“Our defense and our goalies are 100 percent the reason we won this,” Stucker said. “We did it as one. We got them nervous.”

“Our defense played out of their mind,” Pullen added. “The defense was incredible individually and as a unit. This was, by far, the best they’ve played all season. We made adjustments right up until the last second. We knew we had to play great defense to win the game. Morgan carried the ball a lot. (Junior) Sadie (Kramer) is our backer and played amazing. Sierra (Zamer) is a sophomore who is quiet but consistent for us on our elbow. She was a JV player last year and she’s come so far from the beginning of the season. Our middies were great on D too. Peaches had interceptions and Riley plays with poise and confidence and skill that you see in someone three years older.”

Woodbury had one key save in the first half and Brann made four critical saves in the second half.

“Tessa did great in the first half and Amelia played really well,” said Adams.

“Amelia made some amazing saves in the second half,” Pullen said. “She’s been so good at close range.”

Davis won six of 11 draws and the Navigators had a 21-15 edge in ground balls (Farnham, Kerr and Stucker led the way with three apiece) and overcame 16 turnovers.

Unfamiliar feeling

Kennebunk got two goals from Muse and one from Keenan. Keenan also had an assist, as did Kennie.

Thompson saved two shots.

The Rams enjoyed a 14-10 advantage in shots (8-6 on cage) and only committed 11 turnovers, but for the first time in 1,798 days, came out on the losing end of a game.

“This was a great time for us to have (the streak) end,” said longtime Kennebunk coach Annie Barker. “Offensively, the girls couldn’t do what we asked them to. Defensively, we played a great game. Good for Falmouth. They played a good game.

“I think (the win streak) was in the back of (the girls’) minds. We don’t talk about it, but they knew it. The pressure is off now. It was great. That’s probably a record that will never be broken and the kids can take that with them.

“We learned something tonight. If we hadn’t lost, would we have learned? That’s a good question.”

Championship time nears

Kennebunk (now second in the Class A state Heal Points standings) returns to action Wednesday, at home versus Massabesic, as it looks to begin a new streak. The Rams go to Cheverus the following day, then close by hosting Scarborough and Thornton Academy.

“We’ll grow from this,” Barker said. “When you get to the state game, you have to have composure and now we know what we need to work on because we got rattled. We just want to finish strong. It’s going to matter June 14th, if we can get there.”

Falmouth (ranked first in Class A) would love to see Kennebunk again in the state final June 14, but the Navigators have some regular season hurdles to overcome before they can even think about the postseason.

Falmouth returns home to face Marshwood next Tuesday. After playing at Windham and Portland, the Navigators close at home versus Massabesic.

“After the game, I said it’s just another game and we can celebrate, but we have to stay dialed in,” said Stucker, who will play at Trinity College in Hartford next year. “We have more big games to come. I don’t think we’ll slow down at all. If anything, I think we’ll speed up and if see (Kennebunk) again, we’ll be ready.”

“There’s still a lot of lacrosse left,” Pullen said. “This was an opportunity to get better and it’s such a needed boost for the girls. We, as a coaching staff, tried to convince them all season how good they are and a win like this helps them believe it and internalize it and know they’re capable of playing with anyone in the state.

“We have big games to come. We won’t overlook anyone. I expect tough games next week and now we’re the team with the target on our backs.”

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

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