Cape 20 Something

Women's Soccer: Falmouth ends regular season play with a nice win

An impressive come-from-behind win ensures Falmouth home field for Thursday's semi-finals

Falmouth 5 - Lower Cape 3

   Our own Sam Pearsall makes her move. Both photos courtesy of Debbie Gove.

After last Thursday’s match against Barnstable was cancelled because of the thunder and lightening storms that passed through, Falmouth was due for a good match. Last night Falmouth played Lower Cape at home in yet another hard fought match. Falmouth took the 5-3 win, but it was neck and neck the entire game until the last 15 minutes or so. Striker Jenna Rabesa had to leave in the first half due to illness and with their usual scoring weapon gone, Falmouth had to rely to other key players to step up.

LC started the scoring off in the middle of the first half off a corner kick. LC’s strongest player sat at the top of the 18 and the ball dropped right at her feet after Falmouth tried to clear it. She wound up and booted a shot passed Falmouth’s keeper Abbey Gove.

Abbey Gove making her first save of the night.

Falmouth collected themselves and shortly thereafter, Caroline Pierce sped down the flank passed a couple LC defenders and lofted a shot up and over the LC keeper's reach to tie it up. With about 20 minutes left in the first half, the same LC midfielder who owned the first goal bolted down the field, ran onto a chip over the top of Falmouth’s defenders and placed a shot to the lower left corner of the net. Coach Boyd argued that two players were offside, including the scorer, but the referee ignored the complaint.

With just seconds to play in the half, Avery Pierce, one of Falmouth’s backs, came racing down the middle of the field and got a brilliant shot off that, of course with Falmouth’s luck with hitting metal, hit the crossbar and deflected away from the net. Falmouth went into halftime down by a goal.

Falmouth was vying for home field advantage for Thursday's playoffs, so with this incentive they headed back out for the second half ready to get some goals. Pierce would start off this half's scoring with a shot that, as usual, hit the post, and then luckily rolled along the length of the goal line untouched and eventually just made it into the other side netting to tie it up again at 2-all. The tie would not stand for much longer because about halfway into the second half, LC was able to press forward again and get enough on the ball so that Gove couldn't handle it.

This would be the last time Falmouth would be coming from behind. Forward Caryn Oppenheim took the ball up the wing and blasted a shot from a ways out that just floated right above the keeper's hands into the far post net to tie it up again for the last time this game. A few minutes later, Julie Lamson, playing striker to fill Rabesa’s spot, basically reenacted Oppenheim's shot from the same spot and made it 4-3. Then, on the LC restart after this goal, Falmouth midfielder, Jen, rushed the LC forwards kicking off and stole the ball away. With the LC defense looking very flat and high and the keeper way out of position, Jen took a sneak attack approach and shot from outside the 18 to make it 5-3. LC had a couple more great opportunities, but would none would alter the 5-3 win for Falmouth. Falmouth will play the first round of the playoffs at their home field, Trotting Park, at 6 PM on Thursday. Their opponent has yet to be determined.