FALMOUTH—Sloane Ginevan is rounding into form.

And that spells bad news for everyone wearing an opposing uniform.

Tuesday evening, despite a steady rainfall and an opponent which had yet to win a game, Ginevan, who is still working her way back to 100 percent after last year’s knee injury, put on a scoring show and helped Falmouth roll to an early lead and defeat visiting Cheverus in an early-season Class A showdown.

Before the game was seven minutes old, the Navigators enjoyed a 6-0 lead, as Ginevan scored three times. Falmouth eventually went up 9-0 before the Stags settled in and the score was 11-2 at halftime.

Cheverus fought hard throughout, but never made a serious run and the Navigators went on to a 14-7 victory.

Ginevan led the way with six goals, senior Lucy Taylor added four more and Falmouth won its second game in a row, improved to 2-1 and in the process, dropped the Stags to 4-1.

“It feels amazing to be out there with this group of girls,” said Ginevan, who will play lacrosse at the University of Notre Dame next year. “It was an extra-long recovery and I’d say I’m about 95 percent. The strength is there and I’m ready to go.”

Contenders

Falmouth had the daunting task of opening with a home game against two-time reigning Class A champion Kennebunk, which already had three games under its belt, and the Navigators lost, 12-1. Falmouth then got in the win column, 17-5, at Biddeford.

Cheverus, meanwhile, has built on its run to the semifinals last spring, opening with a high-scoring 18-15 home win over Marshwood before downing host Lake Region (17-2), visiting Deering (17-4) and host South Portland (16-2).

Last year, Falmouth won, 14-7, at Cheverus.

Tuesday, with a steady rain falling throughout, the Navigators repeated the feat.

Taylor won the game’s opening draw, got the ball to Ginevan, then Ginevan passed it back to Taylor, who beat Cheverus senior goalie Elle Cooney to open the scoring just 23 seconds in.

Falmouth then went up by two with 23:41 to go in the first half, as after a turnover, sophomore Audrey Farnham set up Ginevan for her first goal.

After junior Reese Belanger looked to answer for the Stags, only to have Navigators senior goalie Patty Riley make the save, Ginevan scored unassisted with 21:17 on the clock to make it 3-0.

Sophomore Maeve Ginevan, Sloane’s younger sister, then got in on the fun 31 seconds later, taking a pass from junior Peaches Stucker and finishing.

With 19:53 to go, sophomore Maisy Clement added an unassisted goal.

With 18:31 left, Cooney came out of the crease looking to clear the ball, but Sloane Ginevan knocked it free and scored easily into an open net for a commanding 6-0 advantage.

“We talked before the game how important it was to overcome the conditions and if we wanted to establish ourselves as a contender, we have to play well in all conditions,” said Falmouth coach Ashley Pullen.

After a Stags’ timeout, the Navigators kept the pressure on, as Stucker scored on a rebound of her own shot with 18:17 remaining.

A minute-and-a-half later, in transition, Stucker set up Taylor to make it 8-0.

After Riley robbed Cheverus sophomore speedster Lucy Johnson, Stucker found Maeve Ginevan to stretch the lead to nine with 14:27 still to play in the half.

Riley then took center-stage, robbing Johnson twice, saving a shot from Belanger, then stopping a free position shot from sophomore Sophia St. John.

With 7:56 left before halftime, the Stags finally broke through, as junior Ella Lemieux found sophomore Christina Lapoint for a goal.

Cheverus bid to get closer, but Riley saved shots from junior Mackenzie Cash and Johnson.

With 3:57 on the clock, Lapoint set up Belanger for a goal, but Falmouth closed the half strong, as Sloane Ginevan found Taylor for a goal 39 seconds later and with 1:17 remaining, in transition, Stucker set up Sloane Ginevan for her fourth goal and an 11-2 halftime advantage.

Despite the large lead, the Navigators only had a 16-15 edge in shots on goal, as Riley dazzled with 13 saves.

“Patty came up big in the first half for us,” said Pullen. “She had some great saves at close range.”

Sophomore Amelia Brann came on to play goalie for the Navigators when the second half started and when Taylor found Sloane Ginevan for a goal with 21:31 to play, a 10-goal, mercy-rule running clock was induced, but with 19:06 to go, Cheverus countered, as Johnson finally was able to finish, backhanding a shot into the net on the run.

With 11:46 left, Johnson added a free position goal and with 6:43 remaining, Cash scored unassisted to cut the deficit to 12-5.

That’s as close as the Stags would get, however, as 37 seconds later, Sloane Ginevan scored for the final time (from Stucker) and with 4:55 to go, Taylor took a pass from senior Adelaide Tolley and scored the Navigators’ final goal.

Down the stretch, St. John fed Cash for a goal with 3:38 on the clock and with 55.9 seconds remaining, Belanger scored unassisted, but Falmouth was able to close out its 14-7 victory.

“It’s a group effort,” said Sloane Ginevan. “We just trust each other and move the ball a lot. We have a ton of offensive weapons, it’s not just one or two people. It’s just getting everyone touches. Our defense is a group of unsung heroes. Patty especially, but they all make life easier for us.”

“The win at Biddeford helped build some confidence and we did a great job today executing some things we’d work on in practice yesterday,” Pullen said. “It’s nice to have a couple wins.”

Sloane Ginevan, who saw limited minutes in the opener against Kennebunk, mostly on the defensive end, put on a show with six goals and a pair of assists.

“Kennebunk’s a really intense team, so I wanted to ease into it and make sure I felt comfortable and that my leg strength was there,” Ginevan said. “They’re a great team, but I will not be afraid to play offense against them (if we see them again).”

“It’s helpful to have Sloane getting more touches on the offensive end,” Pullen said.

Taylor not only scored four goals and had two assists, she also won 15 of 22 draws.

Clement and Stucker (three assists) also scored a goal and Farnham and Tolley added assists.

Riley made 13 saves, while Brann saved three shots.

Falmouth had a 28-21 edge in ground balls (Taylor led the way with seven, Tolley collected five and Stucker grabbed four), out-shot Cheverus, 32-26 (27-23 on cage) and committed 18 turnovers.

Cheverus got two goals apiece from Belanger, Cash and Johnson and Lapoint also scored.

Lapoint, Lemieux and St. John had assists.

Cooney made 13 saves.

Belanger had a team-high six ground balls.

The Stags committed 17 turnovers.

In the running

Cheverus looks to regroup and get back in the win column Thursday at Gorham.

Falmouth, meanwhile, seeks its third straight win Thursday when York pays a visit. Oxford Hills comes to town Friday.

“I’m feeling great,” Sloane Ginevan said. “We’ll building on what we have to work with. We have some challenges coming up and we’re excited to show what we’ve got.”

“I feel like we’re at a good point right now, but there are still some things to work on,” Pullen said.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. 

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