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The thinking before the season was that the Falmouth field hockey team was ready to take a step forward into Class A South’s small group of top teams.

The start to the Navigators’ season, and their latest victory Wednesday, have backed that up.

Lily Young and Ani Bush scored first-half goals, and Falmouth escaped unscathed from 10 corners en route to defeating Gorham, 2-0.

It’s already been a strong start for the Navigators (4-1), who returned 10 seniors and eight starters from last year’s 9-5 team that reached the regional quarterfinals. But beating the Rams (1-4), a top-three team the past two seasons and the opponent that knocked Falmouth out of the playoffs last year, provides another level of validation.

“For so many years we’ve been in the conversation, but not the conversation,” first-year coach Megan Sullivan said. “That’s the transition we want to make.”

Scoring summary

• In the first quarter, Bush took a pass from Violet Westburg, moved the ball past a defender and got a pass through two closing defenders to an open Young. The junior quickly fired a shot into the cage before goalie Eva Wandell could cut off the angle, making it 1-0 with 4:02 to go.

• Early in the second quarter, Bush doubled the Falmouth lead with an impressive solo effort. She charged toward the net, moved left as two defenders followed and flipped a reverse shot into the goal for a 2-0 lead.

“This year we really want to take our level up a notch,” said Bush, a junior. “We have a great environment, great attitude, and we have a lot of confidence in what we’re going to bring to the rest of the season.”

Defense does it

• A trio of seniors, Westburg, Hallie Dickhaut and Kate Swallow, anchored Falmouth’s defense, using their sticks to deftly knock the ball from Gorham players on the attack.

“They play on grass every day. That ball bounces, they know exactly the timing that it takes to hit that ball,” Westburg said. “We’ve really been working on man marking in the circle because that’s crucial.”

• Falmouth drew no corners and had to defend 10 — including seven in the second half as Gorham took over the pace of play — but had the answer every time. The Navigators allowed shots but forced them to come from a distance, and the Rams couldn’t get one on line.

“I think that’s the mental toughness we’ve been working on,” Sullivan said. “If that had been two weeks ago, that composure wasn’t there.”

Sluggish start

• Wednesday’s loss was Gorham’s fourth in a row after an opening win over Marshwood. It’s been a tough schedule for a team expected to be near the front of Class A South, with Biddeford and Cheverus also among the first five opponents.

“We had plenty of opportunities. We had shots on goal, we missed crosses. I thought we played hard,” Gorham coach Becky Manson said. “Our goal was to come out and get these opportunities, and they played tremendous defense against us. We’ve got to find that net.”