Bangor’s Georgie Stephenson (16) attempts to get the ball from Mt. Ararat’s Jenna Jensen (5). Cooper Sullivan / The Times Record

TOPSHAM — For the first half of Tuesday’s match against Mt. Ararat, the Bangor girls soccer team was stuck in its own half of the pitch more than the turf pellets that were in their cleats.

Yet, even though they were down one at the break and offensive opportunities seemed increasingly limited, the Rams were not frustrated.

“At halftime, we said no negative things. We all made sure to bump each other up. We made sure that none of us were mad at each other. I think that turned the game around,” midfielder Georgie Stephenson said.

The approach certainly changed Stephenson’s game, as the freshman scored two goals within a five-minute span, helping secure a 2-1 road victory for Bangor (6-1) and the first loss of the season for Mt. Ararat (5-1).

“It was a tale of two halves, to be honest,” Mt. Ararat head coach Kevin Flaherty said. “I thought our first-half performance was great. We were really connecting well. It’s a big game, always, when you play a good team like Bangor, and I just thought we went away from our game a little bit in the second half. We’re looking to go long when that’s just not us.”

The Rams started the evening with a quick shot on goal, but that was one of their few first half chances as the Eagles’ physical high-pressing defense stifled most forward progress before midfield.

Mt. Ararat’s Emma Berry was the first to score in the ninth minute. The junior midfielder trailed a shot from teammate Julianna Allen and was in the right spot to gather the save and send it to the back of the net for her sixth goal of the year.

When the Rams did get possession, they often attempted to create chances with a long pass across the pitch, however the ball would either be cleared by Mt. Ararat’s defenders or go too long and get picked up by sophomore goalkeeper Morgandy Crawford.

“In the first half, we just got too spaced out. …We just had to compact things a little bit to allow for smaller ball play in order to be able to move the ball,” Bangor head coach Jay Kemble said. “I mean, it wasn’t a big adjustment. It was just something we always work on, and that’s taking away space from the other team. We just didn’t do it in the first half.”

Within the first ten minutes of the second half, the adjustment started to work and the shots started to follow. In the 58th minute, Bangor was awarded a corner kick, which sophomore midfielder Gabby Gordon bent perfectly into goal. Stephenson was the last touch at the goal line, tapping it in for good measure.

“She did all the work,” Stephenson said. “All I had to do was sit it on my stomach. It was a great corner.”

The goal reenergized the visitors’ own high-pressing defense, which led to Stephenson scoring again in the 62nd minute off a tackle and pass from junior forward Gabby Roy.

“The defense was doing great, but for them to stop working as much, we needed to come together as a team and make that decision to shut (Mt. Ararat’s offense) down. And this one took the opportunity to put it away,” Gordon said referring to Stephenson, who now has eight goals on the season.

Bangor limited Mt. Ararat for the rest of the evening, as the Eagles did not get a second-half shot on goal until the final minutes. Both teams ended with five shots on goal. Bangor’s senior keeper Eva Coombs saved four shots, while Crawford saved three.

Despite the second-half dip, Flaherty is proud of the team’s effort and believes the Eagles are in a good position for the rest of this season, even as they head up to Camden Hills on Friday to face another high-scoring offense.

“I’m happy where we’re at,” Flaherty said. “Like I said, it’s a good learning experience for them. We understand that we need to be better, but it’s simple fixes.”