BIDDEFORD — The first game of the season didn’t go the way the Kennebunk boys soccer team had planned.

But the following two games did. Including Saturday’s match with Biddeford, as the Rams defeated the Tigers 4-0 at Waterhouse Field.

Kennebunk, the lone team in York County to make it to the Maine Class A playoffs last season, overcame an opening day loss to Marshwood, but has won two games in a row and now have a 2-1 record.

But, the Rams will be the first to tell you they can improve.

“It was a good win for us,” Kennebunk forward Dan Snyder said. “But there’s still room for improvement.”

The Rams won its game on Saturday thanks to well-rounded overall play, particularly in the passing game, setting up shots near the goal throughout the contest.

“In this game, we passed the ball pretty well, and our defense was solid,” Snyder said. “We just had a good game overall.”

The loss dropped Biddeford to an 0-3 record. Though the scoreboard may not reflect it, the Tigers played a tough opponent to the Rams throughout the morning, displaying better play in the second half and allowing only one goal after Kennebunk went into halftime with a 3-0 lead.

“They have some nice athletes,” Kennebunk head coach Nathan Bean said of the Tigers. “There’s certainly no quit in them, and that speaks volumes. Hats off to them for continuing to play. It’s tough to be on the wrong side of the score and they played hard and right to the whistle.”

The Rams scored its first goal midway through the first half when forward Mike Ottman was tripped up in front of the Biddeford goal, setting up a penalty kick. Ottman kicked toward the right of the goal, sneaking the ball past Tigers goalie Jeff Thompson to give Kennebunk a 1-0 lead.

Minutes later, the Rams scored its second goal, when midfielder Rodrigo Giacaman sprinted up the right side of the field and knocked a 10-yard shot past Thompson for a 2-0 lead. Rams back Bobby Kramer added one more goal for Kennebunk  right before the half, giving the Rams the 3-0 lead.

While Kennebunk kept the pressure on the Rams side of the field throughout most of the first half, play was back and forth between both sides in the second half. The lone goal of the half came early, as Snyder slipped a shot past goalie Tyler Emery – who had replaced Thompson – for the 4-0 lead.

Though he didn’t face many shots, Kennebunk goalie Christian Elkington provided strong defense throughout the game, and picked up the shutout.

The Rams will hit the road to play Thornton Academy tomorrow, while Biddeford will travel to Portland on Tuesday to play against Cheverus.

“We’re getting there,” Bean said of Kennebunk’s play. “We’re starting to move better off the ball, we’re starting to get the ball off our feet, we’ve still got it stuck on our feet too much sometimes. It was a step in right direction today.”

A step that might night bode well for Kennebunk opponents this season.

— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 318.