Falmouth junior standout Sydney Bell shoots on goal during the Yachtsmen home battle with Waynflete Thursday. Bell had herself a day to remember, scoring seven goals, dishing out six assists, winning 20 of 25 draws and collecting 18 ground balls as the Yachtsmen pulled away for a 17-6 victory.

Chris Lambert photos.

More photos below.

BOX SCORE

Falmouth 17 Waynflete 6

W- 4 2- 6
F- 7 10- 17

First half
23:28 F Bell (D. Sarazin)
23:05 F Bell (unassisted)
20:13 W Rowe (unassisted)
19:06 W Veroneau (unassisted)
16:43 F Stucker (Bell)
13:19 W Moore (Canning)
11:49 F D. Sarazin (free position)
7:38 F Stucker (unassisted)
6:45 F Stucker (Bell)
4:38 F Stucker (Bell)
1:28 W Burdick (unassisted) 

Second half
24:45 F Bell (unassisted)
24:28 F Stucker (Bell)
22:30 F Bell (Stucker)
20:16 F Stucker (Bell)
15:58 F D. Sarazin (Smithwick)
15:30 F Bell (unassisted)
10:26 W Olney (free position)
8:42 W Rowe (unassisted)
7:53 F Stucker (Bernier)
6:15 F D. Sarazin (Bell)
4:20 F Bell (Stucker)
2:06 F Bell (Carmichael) 

Goals:
W- Rowe 2, Burdick, Moore, Olney, Veroneau 1
F- Bell, Stucker 7, D. Sarazin 3

Assists:
W- Canning 1
F- Bell 6, Stucker 2, Bernier, Carmichael. D. Sarazin, Smithwick

Draws (Falmouth, 20-5)
W- Pope 4 of 21, Canning 1 of 3, Veroneau 0 of 1
F- Bell 20 of 25

Ground balls (Falmouth, 49-31)
W- Pope 8, Moore 5, Rowe 4, Baginski, Burdick, Giguere, Majercik, Smith, Veroneau 2, Canning, Dubois 1
F- Bell 18, Bernier 8, Stucker 6, Camelio, D. Sarazin 4, Smithwick 3, Oakes, K. Sarazin 2, Carmichael, Farrell 1

Turnovers:
W- 18
F- 19

Shots:
W- 14
F- 27

Shots on cage:
W- 9
F- 25

Saves:
W (Majercik) 8 
F (M. Budri) 3

FALMOUTH—The Bell and Stucker Show proved to be a tour de force for Falmouth’s girls’ lacrosse team Thursday evening and all Waynflete could do was sit and watch.

In a rematch of last year’s semifinal, Yachtsmen juniors Sydney Bell and Olivia Stucker dominated from start to finish and as a result, Falmouth continues to soar.

Bell scored twice in the game’s first two minutes to set the tone, then stepped back and embraced the helper’s role, feeding Stucker three times for goals which gave the hosts a 7-4 halftime lead.

The Yachtsmen ended all doubt in the second half, as Bell scored off the opening draw, sparking a 6-0 run. Before all was said and done, Falmouth forced a mercy rule running clock and went on to a 17-6 triumph.

Stucker scored a career high seven goals, while Bell had seven goals, six assists and dominated in the draw circle and on ground balls as the Yachtsmen became the first team in the Maine Principals’ Association-sanctioned era to beat Waynflete four straight times, improving to 2-0 on the young season, dropping the Flyers to 1-1 in the process.

“(Sydney and I) just had a connection today,” said Stucker. “We’ve worked on that through preseason. It really clicked today. We saw it with other teammates too.”

Simply unstoppable

While Kennebunk is viewed as the Class B South favorite this spring, Falmouth and Waynflete like their chances as well.

The Yachtsmen, who are coming off the best season in program history, one which ended with a loss to Kennebunk in the regional final, opened with a 16-5 home victory over Freeport Monday.

Waynflete started its season two weeks ago by rallying from three goals down to edge host Cape Elizabeth in an overtime thriller, 8-7.

The Flyers beat Falmouth 14 straight times between 2002 and 2012 before the Yachtsmen finally solved them. Waynflete avenged that loss with a thrilling victory in the Western B semifinals that year en route to a state championship and beat Falmouth twice more in 2013.

The Yachtsmen broke through again with a win at Waynflete in 2014, then last year, Falmouth enjoyed a 13-6 victory at the Flyers in the regular season, then, in the Western B semifinals, beat them in Falmouth and in the postseason for the first time, 8-2.

Thursday, Waynflete was very competitive for a half, but in the end, the Yachtsmen steamroller proved impossible to counter.

Bell actually lost the game’s opening draw to Flyers junior Isabel Canning, but the Yachtsmen gained possession and 92 seconds in, Bell took a pass from junior Devon Sarazin and beat Waynflete senior goalie Charlotte Majercik for a goal to set the tone.

A mere 23 seconds later, off a draw win, Bell scored unassisted for a 2-0 lead.

Waynflete answered, as senior Christian Rowe scored unassisted with 20:13 to play in the half and a little over a minute later, Flyers sophomore Izzy Burdick threw a long lead pass to senior Anne Veroneau, who raced in and shot past Falmouth junior goalie Mary Budri to tie the game, 2-2.

The first Bell to Stucker combination, with 16:43 remaining in the half, gave the Yachtsmen the lead back, but after Stucker hit the post, Canning set up senior Nina Moore to tie the score again, 3-3, with 13:19 to go before halftime.

That would prove to be Waynflete’s highwater mark.

With 11:49 left, off a free position, Sarazin scored to put the hosts ahead to stay.

After Majercik robbed Stucker on the doorstep, Falmouth stayed with it and with 7:38 to go, Stucker curled around the goal before finishing to make it 5-3.

Fifty-three seconds later, Bell set up Stucker for a three-goal lead, forcing Flyers coach Cathie Connors to call timeout.

It didn’t help, as the Yachtsmen scored again with 4:38 showing, as in transition after a turnover, Bell set up Stucker to make it 7-3.

“Early on, we were feeling rushed and trying to find our groove,” Bell said. “They have a good zone defense. We had to figure out how to get past it. We’re young and we’re still figuring it out, but once we figured it out, everything clicked.”

Burdick scored unassisted with 1:28 left in the half, but Falmouth was up three at the break.

In the first 25 minutes, Bell won nine of 12 draws, the Yachtsmen enjoyed a 26-15 advantage on ground balls and a 14-9 edge in shots. Only six clutch Majercik saves kept it close.

Falmouth would end all doubt quickly in the second half.

Bell won the draw to start the half, collected the ball, weaved through the defense and 15 seconds in, finished with her left hand to extend the lead to 8-4.

Seventeen seconds later, Bell fed Stucker for another goal and a 9-4 lead.

The goals kept coming, as with 22:30 left, in transition, Stucker returned the favor, feeding Bell for a goal and with 20:16 to play, Bell set up Stucker for a commanding 11-4 advantage, forcing Connors to use her final timeout.

Again, it didn’t stem the tide, as with 15:58 to play, sophomore Chelsey Smithwick set up Sarazin and 28 seconds later, Bell’s unassisted goal pushed the lead to 13-4.

Waynflete stemmed the tide with 10:26 to go, when sophomore LZ Olney scored on a free position, ending a 16 minute, 2 second drought and Falmouth’s six-goal run.

With 8:42 remaining, Rowe scored unassisted, but the Flyers would draw no closer.

With 7:53 to play, senior London Bernier assisted Stucker’s final goal.

With 6:15 left, Bell set up Sarazin to make it 15-6.

With 4:20 to play, Stucker set up Bell to force a running clock and with 2:06 showing, Bell took a pass from sophomore Stone Carmichael and scored her final goal, bringing the curtain down on a decisive 17-6 victory.

“Waynflete is always a top team,” Bell said. “We don’t have their history. Even though we’ve beaten them, we don’t underestimate them.”

“Waynflete is always a rival,” Stucker said. “We had big nerves. We were excited, but we worked through it.”

“It was a little slow at the beginning,” added Falmouth coach Kait Johnson, who is the lone active coach in the state to enjoy a winning record (4-0) vs. Connors. “We had to get the jitters out. The girls worked well together. They’re selfless players. We love playing against the zone. It’s fun.”

Bell had a game for the ages, scoring seven times, assisting on six other goals, winning 20 of 25 draws and easily claiming game-high honors in ground balls with a mindboggling 18.

“Sydney is amazing on the draw,” Connors said. “She’s an amazing player.”

Stucker announced her arrival as an elite player, scoring seven goals of her own and adding a pair of assists.

“I was just feeling it,” said Stucker. “Everything worked.”

“Olivia’s a superstar,” Bell said. 

“Olivia is one of those hidden gems,” Johnson added. “She doesn’t get a lot of recognition. She does little things to make our team successful. Today, she got some of the limelight which is amazing for her.”

Between them, Bell and Stucker combined for 14 goals and eight assists, a good month for some elite players.

“They had a goal this game to work together and get assists,” Johnson said. “They partnered up and it showed.”

Sarazin had quite a game of her own, scoring three times and adding an assist.

Bernier, Carmichael and Smithwick also had assists. Budri made three saves.

The Yachtsmen had a commanding edge in ground balls, 49-31 (Bernier had eight and Stucker six), shots (27-14) and shots on cage (25-9).

Falmouth overcame 19 turnovers.

Waynflete got two goals from Rowe and one apiece from Burdick, Moore, Olney and Veroneau. Canning had an assist. Majercik made eight saves. Pope had a team-high eight ground balls, while Moore collected five.

The Flyers committed 18 turnovers.

“(Falmouth was) phenomenal,” Connors said. “We tried a lot of different things, but they were on offensively and we were struggling getting to the ball and getting to the midfield. Our defense did their best and Charlotte played very well. I learned a ton about us today.” 

Crossover time

Both teams will be tested Saturday when Class A and B squads square off in crossover contests.

Waynflete hopes to bounce back when it plays its first home game, versus Scarborough. The Flyers then will get an even bigger test when they host Kennebunk Wednesday.

“(Scarborough) will be a good test,” Connors said. “We have to play Saturday like we did the first few minutes today.”

It’s hard to believe that Falmouth still has quite an upside. As the younger Yachtsmen get up to speed, look out.

“We did graduate a lot, but we have a lot of key players still on our team,” Bell said. “The underclassmen have stepped up more than we can imagine. We have key freshmen who are stepping up huge.”

“It’s nice to see the freshmen step up,” Stucker said. “Our freshmen play other sports and we’re incorporating the other skills.”

Falmouth goes to Thornton Academy Saturday morning. The Yachtsmen visit dangerous York and Cape Elizabeth next week.

“We play with a chip on our shoulder,” Stucker said. “We play like we have everything to lose.”

“TA is always a rival,” Bell said. “We have to go into it not underestimating any team. We need to work on communication and defensive positioning. We can’t come out slow.”

“Everyone is very different from last year,” Johnson added. “We just want to show up every day and play our game. We can still move the ball quicker and capitalize. We’re building, slowly but surely. We’re small and young, but the girls want to be here and love the sport. They’re great to coach.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

Falmouth junior Devon Sarazin collides with Waynflete senior Nina Moore.

Falmouth junior Olivia Stucker hounds Waynflete freshman Marady Parr. Stucker had a career-high seven goals.

Waynflete senior goalie Charlotte Majercik robs Falmouth junior Sydney Bell.

Waynflete senior Anne Veroneau races past Falmouth freshman Caitlyn Camelio, left, and junior Gabby Farrell en route to a first half goal.

Waynflete senior Christian Rowe shoots and scores.

Waynflete junior Isabel Canning is defended by Falmouth freshman Caitlyn Camelio.

Falmouth celebrates one of its 17 goals.

Recent Waynflete-Falmouth results

2015
Falmouth 13 @ Waynflete 6 
Western B semifinals
@ Falmouth 8 Waynflete 2 

2014
Falmouth 8 @ Waynflete 6

2013
Waynflete 10 @ Falmouth 8
@ Waynflete 16 Falmouth 3

2012
Waynflete 13 @ Falmouth 10
Falmouth 13 @ Waynflete 10
Western B semifinals
Waynflete 10 Falmouth 9 @ Fitzpatrick Stadium

2011 
Waynflete 18 @ Falmouth 10
Waynflete 12 @ Falmouth 8

2010
Waynflete 15 @ Falmouth 5
Western B Final
@ Waynflete 11 Falmouth 6

2009
@ Waynflete 16 Falmouth 7
Western B semifinals
@ Waynflete 12 Falmouth 4

2008
@ Waynflete 18 Falmouth 4

2007
@ Waynflete 10 Falmouth 2

2006
@ Waynflete 9 Falmouth 2

2005 
Waynflete 12 @ Falmouth 1

2004
@ Waynflete 13 Falmouth 0

2003
Waynflete 14 @ Falmouth 3

2002
Waynflete 13 @ Falmouth 4

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