Greely freshman Kylie Crocker tries to outrun Falmouth senior Abby Blakeman (8) and junior Molly Scribner during the Yachtsmen’s 14-4 victory Monday. Hoffer photo

BOX SCORE

Falmouth 14 Greely 4

G- 1 3- 4
F- 11 3- 14

First half
23:05 F Ginevan (Clement)
21:32 F Ginevan (free position)
19:51 G Dean-Muncie (unassisted)
16:08 F Clement (free position)
14:09 F Ginevan (free position)
11:43 F Ginevan (Taylor)
11:06 F Clement (unassisted)
8:18 F Taylor (Fishman)
7:06 F Taylor (Ginevan)
6:29 F Fishman (unassisted)
2:49 F Ginevan (unassisted)
2:00 F Adams (unassisted)

Second half
24:06 G Kelman (unassisted)
17:35 F Clement (Ginevan)
11:00 G Goldburg (unassisted)
7:57 F Blakeman (Clement)
6:42 F Barry (Clement)
1:52 G Taylor (free position)

Goals:
G- Dean-Muncie, Goldburg, Kelman, Taylor 1
F- Ginevan 5, Clement 3, Taylor 2, Adams, Barry, Blakeman, Fishman 1

Assists:
F- Clement 3, Ginevan 2, Fishman 1

Draws (Falmouth, 15-5)
G- Goldburg 1 of 6, Williams 1 of 6, Taylor 1 of 5, Ferentz 2 of 2, Read 0 of 1
F- Clement 15 of 20

Ground balls:
G- 25
F- 34

Turnovers:
G- 18
F- 17

Shots:
G- 12
F- 25

Shots on cage:
G- 7
F- 21

Saves:
G (Bond) 7
F (Riley) 3

FALMOUTH—Possession is nine-tenths of the law and dominating possession in girls’ lacrosse gives you at least a 90 percent chance of victory.

Falmouth continued its recent surge Monday night by controlling the ball when it hosted Greely, as senior standout Eva Clement won 11 of 13 draw opportunities in a first half which saw the erstwhile-Yachtsmen open up an 11-1 lead, thanks in large part to Clement’s contributions, as well as five goals from sophomore sensation Sloane Ginevan.

The Rangers played Falmouth even in the second half, but Clement, senior Abby Blakeman and junior Kinsey Barry added goals and that produced a 14-4 final score.

Clement scored three goals and also had three assists, while sophomore Lucy Taylor added a pair and seven different players tickled the twine as Falmouth won its third game in a row and improved to 4-1 on the season, handing Greely its first setback in three outings in the process.

“Momentum is really key in games,” said Ashley Pullen, Falmouth’s third-year coach. “Possession is so huge. If your default setting is to play defense, it’s tough.”

Possession 

Both Falmouth and Greely have a lot to be excited about in the early going of the 2021 season.

The Rangers started with decisive wins at North Yarmouth Academy (15-6) and at home over Gray-New Gloucester (21-2).

Falmouth, meanwhile, opened with a 14-3 home win over Gorham and after a hard-fought 11-9 setback at Windham, responded by downing host Portland (17-2) and Massabesic (12-6).

The neighboring schools last met April 26, 2017, an 18-8 home win for Falmouth.

Monday, Greely looked to beat Falmouth for the first time since June 3, 2014 (12-7 at home) and for the first time in Falmouth since May 14, 2014 (15-10), but Falmouth managed to extend its streak in the series to five as it was an ungracious host in regards to sharing the ball.

Clement set the tone by winning the opening draw and just under two minutes into the contest, Falmouth went on top to stay, as Clement set up Ginevan for her first goal.

With 21:32 to play in the first half, Ginevan doubled the lead, scoring on a free position.

The Rangers answered with 19:51 on the clock, as senior Elsa Dean-Muncie scored unassisted, but the next nine goals would go to Falmouth.

After Falmouth sophomore goalie Patty Riley kept her team on top by denying Greely freshman Eva Williams on a free position, the hosts got a free position goal from Clement with 16:08 to play in the first half and a free position goal from Ginevan two minutes later.

Rangers coach Becca Koelker called timeout, but it didn’t stem the tide.

While Greely freshman goalie Whitney Bond made a save on a free position shot from Falmouth senior Avi Fishman, Falmouth kept possession and with 11;43 remaining before halftime, Taylor fed Ginevan for her fourth goal and a 5-1 advantage.

Clement scored unassisted 37 seconds later and with 8:18 to go, Taylor scored for the first time, from Fishman.

After junior Whitney Adams hit the post for Falmouth, Ginevan set up Taylor for a goal with 7:06 on the clock and 37 seconds later, Fishman scored unassisted to make it 9-1.

With the Rangers unable to get possession, Falmouth kept extending its lead and with 2:49 remaining, Ginevan demonstrated the athleticism that makes her simply unstoppable, weaving around multiple defenders before beating Bond for her fifth and final goal.

“We have amazing chemistry,” Ginevan said. “We all work really well together. We have a lot of leaders out there. We just play amazing as a unit. I credit my teammates for my success. I’m very competitive and sometimes I get riled up before games. The juniors and seniors help me calm down and that’s been very helpful to me.”

“(Sloane’s) getting better doing things like refining her timing around feeds and doing a better job opening up lanes,” Pullen said.

Clement won yet another draw and with exactly 2 minutes on the clock, Adams finished unassisted to give Falmouth a commanding 11-1 halftime advantage.

In the first 25 minutes, Clement won 11 of her 13 draw opportunities and Falmouth forced 11 Greely turnovers and enjoyed a 19-4 shots advantage.

It took all of 54 seconds for the Rangers to open the second half scoring, as freshman Asja Kelman scored unassisted, but with 17:35 to go, Ginevan set up Clement for a goal and a 12-2 lead.

“Eva and Sloane have a sixth sense of where their teammates will be,” Pullen said.

Greely pulled within nine with 11 minutes to play, as senior Sam Goldburg scored unassisted, but after Riley robbed Dean-Muncie on a free position, Clement set up Blakeman for a goal with 7:57 left, then fed Barry with 6:42 on the clock for Falmouth’s final goal.

The Rangers would score one more time, on sophomore Charlotte Taylor’s free position shot with 1:52 to play, but Clement won one final draw and Falmouth ran out the clock on its 14-4 victory.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve been doing,” Ginevan said. “It’s so exciting. Getting a sense of normalcy again has been great for us. Windham was a reality check that we need to stay humble and work hard. We’ve flipped a switch since that game and we don’t take anyone for granted.”

“I’m pleasantly surprised,” said Pullen. “When a few goals fall, you can get energy and excitement and we were able to build on that today. These past two games we looked at in the preseason like they could potentially be close and would be important to win. The win Friday gave us nice momentum for this game. We had a lot of energy and momentum after that one.”

Ginevan paced the offense with five goals and two assists. She also collected seven ground balls.

Clement did a little of everything, scoring three goals, assisting on three others, winning 15 of 20 draws and scooping up a game-high 10 ground balls.

“Eva is amazing on the draw circle,” Ginevan said. “She’s the best midfield partner I could ask for. I look up to her. Her talent is unmatched.”

Taylor had two goals, while Adams, Barry, Blakeman and Fishman (one assist) all added one.

Riley made three saves.

Falmouth had a 34-25 edge on ground balls, out-shot Greely, 25-12 (21-7 on cage) and overcame 17 turnovers.

The Rangers got one goal apiece from Dean-Muncie, Goldburg, Kelman and Taylor.

Bond made seven saves.

Dean-Muncie had a team-high five ground balls.

Greely committed 18 turnovers.

“They were so strong on the draws and we just couldn’t get possession,” Koelker lamented. “When we got the ball down to attack, we did some good things, but it was about getting possession of the ball and we gave it up in transition too.

“We’re very young with just five returning players. Falmouth’s so strong and our nerves got to us. I was proud of the girls and their fight in the second half, but we have to show that from the beginning.”

More challenges

Greely’s week gets no easier as it plays at Yarmouth Wednesday, then visits Brunswick Saturday. Next week, the Rangers host resurgent Class A contender Scarborough.

“We just talked about turning the page, coming out strong in practice and learning from our mistakes and trying to get better every day,” said Koelker.

Falmouth looks to keep its streak going Friday when Thornton Academy pays a visit. Next Wednesday, Falmouth hosts two-time reigning Class B champion Cape Elizabeth.

“We really can’t rest,” Ginevan said. “Every practice, every game we have to keep working hard and keep our heads up. Our goal is to win the state championship. Every single day we’ll chip in a little more and do something that will help that.”

“I think at both ends of the field, we can do a better job of attacking or defending as a unit,” Pullen said. “We have talented individual players and we’re starting to see glimpses of what can happen when we work together. There’s a lot to be grateful for and a lot that I’m proud of.”

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