Falmouth junior Jo Stucker is mobbed by her teammates after scoring a goal during the Yachtsmen’s 13-6 win at Scarborough Wednesday.
Mike Strout photos.
More photos below.
BOX SCORE
Falmouth 13 Scarborough 6
F- 4 9- 13
S- 4 2- 6
First half
22:14 S Neelon (Smith)
18:43 F Oakes (Stucker)
16:57 S Smith (unassisted)
15:04 F Stucker (unassisted)
10:36 F Camelio (free position)
1:35 F Smithwick (Sarazin)
28.7 S Stolz (Smith)
5.0 S Neelon (Smith)
Second half
23:40 F Fishman (unassisted)
22:42 F Clement (free position)
21:22 S Smith (free position)
19:49 F Camelio (unassisted)
19:28 F Oakes (Sarazin)
16:04 S Smith (Manfra)
14:04 F Stucker (free position)
12:37 F Sarazin (Camelio)
11:23 F Camelio (Oakes)
9:07 F Camelio (free position)
4:04 F Oakes (Hamilton)
Goals:
F- Camelio 4, Oakes 3, Stucker 2, Clement, Fishman, Sarazin, Smithwick 1
S- Smith 3, Neelon 2, Stolz 1
Assists:
F- Sarazin 2, Camelio, Hamilton, Oakes, Stucker 1
S- Smith 3, Manfra 1
Draws (Falmouth, 12-9)
F- Sarazin 12 of 21
S- Stolz 6 of 16, Neelon 2 of 3, Smith 1 of 2
Ground balls:
F- 37
S- 27
Turnovers:
F- 15
S- 27
Shots on goal:
F- 36
S- 13
Shots on cage:
F- 30
S- 10
Saves:
F (Dubinsky) 4
S (Murphy) 6 (Smel) 11
SCARBOROUGH—While Falmouth’s girls’ lacrosse team is still searching to put together a solid 50 minutes, it’s pretty impressive what the Yachtsmen can do with 25.
Wednesday evening at Scarborough’s Kippy Mitchell Sports Complex, Falmouth got off to a sluggish start and found itself even with the winless, but scrappy Red Storm at the break.
Then, the Yachtsmen roared to life and went on to a key road victory.
Scarborough took the lead on a goal from senior Maegan Neelon in the third minute and after Falmouth junior Christina Oakes pulled her team even, Red Storm senior Ellie Smith gave the hosts a one-goal advantage.
Falmouth then seemingly took control of the game behind goals from junior Jo Stucker, junior Caitlyn Camelio and senior Chelsey Smithwick, but late in the half, Smith set up senior Erin Stolz for a goal, then knocked the ball out of the stick of Yachtsmen sophomore goalie Hannah Dubinsky right to Neelon for another goal, forging a 4-4 tie at halftime.
Falmouth was then close to unstoppable in the second half.
Goals from freshman Avi Fishman and Stucker put the Yachtsmen ahead to stay and after Smith countered with a goal, Camelio and Oakes scored to make it 8-5.
Scarborough got a third goal from Smith with just over 16 minutes to play, but that would be its final tally and Falmouth closed on a 5-0 surge, getting goals from Stucker, junior Kayla Sarazin, Camelio, Camelio again and Oakes to go on to a 13-6 victory.
Camelio scored four times, Oakes added three goals and Sarazin was close to unstoppable in the draw circle in the second half as the Yachtsmen improved to 5-2 on the season, dropping the Red Storm to 0-5 in the process.
“We knew we needed to come out with a big head of steam (in the second half),” Sarazin said. “We knew they’d want the second half, but we wanted it more. We love to work together.”
First time, long time
Despite both teams being competitive most years, they had only met four times (with each winning twice) heading into play Wednesday and not at all since a 14-9 Red Storm home win May 19, 2009.
Falmouth, under new coach Ashley Pullen, opened with an 11-8 home victory over Biddeford, then fell at two-time defending Class B champion Kennebunk, 10-3. After downing visiting Messalonskee, 15-11, host Marshwood (10-6) and visiting Windham (13-3), the Yachtsmen gave defending Class A champion Massabesic a scare Monday in Waterboro before losing, 11-9.
Scarborough, which also has a new coach this season, Emily Hopkins, started with a 6-5 home loss to Waynflete. After falling at Thornton Academy, 10-4, the Red Storm dropped a one-goal home decision to Marshwood, 7-6. Monday, Scarborough lost at Cheverus, 11-4.
Wednesday, on a foggy and chilly (game time temperature was 48 degrees) evening, the Red Storm gave Falmouth fits much of the way, but the Yachtsmen came alive to beat Scarborough for the first time since 2002.
Red Storm freshman goalie Kathleen Murphy made her presence felt in the first half, beginning by denying Sarazin off the opening draw, just nine seconds in.
Scarborough went on top with 22:14 to play in the first half, when Smith got the ball to Neelon, who beat Dubinsky for a 1-0 lead.
After Murphy denied Camelio and Sarazin, the Yachtsmen drew even with 18:43 on the first half clock, as after a turnover, Stucker set up Oakes for a goal.
After another Murphy save, on Stucker, the Red Storm retook the lead with 16:57 remaining in the half, as Smith scored for the first time, unassisted.
After Sarazin hit the post, Stucker finished unassisted with 15:04 to go to pull Falmouth even.
Then, after Dubinsky robbed Scarborough sophomore Leah Manfra, the Yachtsmen went ahead for the first time, 3-2, as Camelio converted a free position with 10:36 to play before halftime.
After Murphy denied both Sarazin and Stucker, Smith looked to tie the score, but Dubinsky made the save.
With 1:35 remaining in the half, Sarazin set up Smithwick for a goal, but the Red Storm finished the half with a flourish.
First, Smith set up Stolz for a goal with 28.9 seconds to play.
Then, Scarborough got the ball back and shot on Dubinsky, who made the save, but Smith came up from behind, knocked the ball away and it came right out front to Neelon, who finished with only 5 seconds showing to tie the score, 4-4, at halftime.
In the first half, the Red Storm won six of nine draws and got six key saves from Murphy to make things very interesting.
But Falmouth wouldn’t be denied when the second half began.
Sarazin won the opening draw and 80 seconds into the second half, Fishman finished unassisted, beating new Scarborough goalie, senior Bethany Smel, to put the Yachtsmen ahead for good.
With 22:42 left, Clement converted a free position.
Smel prevented the deficit from growing when she denied Camelio and at the other end, with 21:22 remaining, Smith scored on a free position to pull the Red Storm back within one, 6-5.
That’s as close as they would get, as Camelio scored an unassisted goal with 19:49 to play and 21 seconds later, off a Sarazin draw win, Sarazin set up Oakes for a goal and an 8-5 lead, which forced Hopkins to call timeout.
It momentarily did the trick, as Smith scored (from Manfra) with 16:04 on the clock, but exactly two minutes later, Stucker beat Smel on a free position shot to restore the three-goal advantage.
With 12:37 remaining, after a Scarborough turnover, Camelio found Sarazin for a goal.
With 11:23 to play, Oakes set up Camelio for a goal and the lead was five.
With 9:07 left, Camelio finished a free position.
Then, with 4:04 to play, Oakes took a pass from sophomore Emily Hamilton and tickled the twine and that brought the curtain down on Falmouth’s 13-6 victory.
“We put it together in the second half,” Pullen said. “It was important to come and start the second half well and finish it well. That’s something we didn’t do Monday against Massabesic. We were able to possess more. They didn’t have the ball and couldn’t score.”
The Yachtsmen got goals from seven different players. Camelio had a game-high four, Oakes added three, Stucker two and Clement, Fishman, Sarazin and Smithwick one apiece.
“We have a lot of scoring threats,” Pullen said. “Our mindset since day one was to not be a one-woman show.”
Sarazin also had two assists, while Camelio, Hamilton, Oakes and Stucker had one each.
Sarazin won 12 of 21 draws (including nine of 10 in one second half stretch).
“It’s all about having great people in the draw circle with me and cheering me on,” said Sarazin, who also had a game-high eight ground balls.
“Kayla somehow comes up with the ball even if it doesn’t bounce her way,” Pullen said.
Dubinsky made four saves.
Falmouth finished with a 37-27 ground ball advantage, outshot Scarborough, 36-13 (30-10 on cage) and only committed 15 turnovers.
Growth potential
Scarborough got three goals from Smith, two from Neelon and another from Stolz. Smith also had three assists, while Manfra finished with one.
Smel made 11 saves and Murphy finished with six.
Smith had a team-high seven ground balls.
The Red Storm overcame 27 turnovers.
“We’re a strong first half team, but we haven’t been able to finish the last 25 minutes,” Hopkins said. “We couldn’t get the ball in the second half. Possession played a huge difference and they came out fired up. They’re a great team. I knew they’d be strong. I was pumped how the first half went.”
Quick turnaround
Scarborough will again try for its first victory Saturday when it hosts Brunswick. The Red Storm go to Massabesic Tuesday, then play at Greely Friday of next week.
“If we can play more like those beautiful stretches, the wins will come,” Hopkins said. “We don’t know how to win yet. We know how to play, but not to win. If we get that win, hopefully that will get us going.”
Falmouth travels to Lewiston Friday, then hosts Cheverus and Waynflete next week.
“We’re young, but everyone is working hard and it’s paying off,” Sarazin said. “We’re coming together really well. We have to keep practicing hard and keep the intensity up.”
“I’m pretty pleased with where we’re at right now,” Pullen said. “We still have work to do. We have to put together 50 good minutes. Monday at Massabesic we had 40 or 44 good minutes, but we need 50. I know we’re capable of it.”
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
Scarborough sophomore Josephine Patten shields Falmouth freshman Eva Clement from the ball.
Falmouth junior Kayla Sarazin fires a shot as Scarborough sophomore Madison Marinko defends.
Falmouth junior Caitlyn Camelio races up the field as Scarborough senior Haley Koukos looks on.
Scarborough sophomore Samantha Brodeur keeps the ball away from Falmouth junior Natalie Birkel.
Falmouth junior Christina Oakes goes one-on-one with Scarborough freshman goalie Kathleen Murphy.
Scarborough senior Ellie Smith, who scored three goals, keeps the ball away from Falmouth junior Caitlyn Camelio.
Falmouth junior Jo Stucker shoots and scores on Scarborough freshman goalie Kathleen Murphy.
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