READFIELD – An entire season came down to penalty kicks. And thanks to the right foot of Cooper Lycan, the Falmouth boys soccer team will play another day.
The Yachtsmen ended Maranacook’s season on Saturday night in a 2-1 win at Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams. Maranacook finishes with a 13-1-2 record. Falmouth (11-3-2), the defending Class B champion, moves on to the Western Class B final.
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“That was a great high school game,” Falmouth head coach David Halligan said. “That’s one of the best teams we’ve played all year. They were organized, they played with a lot of heart and spirit. They gave us all we could handle.”
Falmouth started the penalty kicks with a goal by J.P. White. The Black Bears followed with a score by Kent Mohlar. Jess Melchiskey then beat Maranacook goalie AJ Freeman to give Falmouth a 2-1 lead.
Yachtsmen goalie Will D’Agostino stopped Maranacook’s next shot, by Matt Dubois. The Black Bears also failed to score on their next kick when Erling Vingelsgaard’s shot went over the top of the net.
Thomas Wilberg missed a game-winning chance when his shot went wide of the net before Lycan whizzed a shot past Freeman for the game-winner.
“Pressure is just something you put on yourself,” Lycan said. “Under pressure, you can’t really make a penalty kick. You psyche yourself out, the goal looks smaller. So you just relax, hit a clean ball. You have to make (the goalie) make a save.”
The game was physical from the opening whistle. Falmouth put the pressure on early, taking a 1-0 lead when White sent a free kick in front of the net and Ian McBrady converted on a header.
Falmouth kept the pressure on for the rest of the game, but Freeman came through for the Black Bears, stopping numerous scoring opportunities, including a jumping save on a header during the second overtime.
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