RUMFORD — The Edward Little girls’ lacrosse team pulled together when it counted Tuesday in an evening game at the Hosmer Athletic Complex.

Gabby LaPerriere scored two goals and Kara Tarcrel added a hat trick in the first half as the Red Eddies held the upper hand in a 13-4 triumph over Mountain Valley.

Both teams entered the contest with identical 2-4 records and had already played similar opponents. Something had to give. 

Edward Little grabbed the lead early, scoring the first three goals. Laperriere netted the first two, including one on an assist from Maddie Williamson. Less than a minute later, Tarcrel converted a pass by LaPerriere.

“It was very important for us,” Edward Little coach Jessica Somers said of her team’s fast start. “Getting ahead early allowed the girls to settle in and it gave them the confidence they needed.”

The Falcons were on the defensive until Ayla Allen scored on a the end of a 90-yard sprint down the middle of the field. But the rushes became too predictable and the lack of passing attempts by the Falcons, allowed EL defenders Tori Couture, Kaelina Perron and Williamson to backpedal in front of goalie Julia Langean (five saves).

On the other end Mountain Valley defenders Abby Day, Alexa Fryover and, Makayla White played well in front of goalie Jordan True, who was busy, making 17 saves, including several point blank opportunities.

“We needed to slow (the flow) down,” Somers said. “It was just a matter of being patient and keep passing the ball around.”

Mountain Valley and Edward Little will play each other next week, in Auburn.

Tarcrel scored the final two goals of the first half, including one with 26 seconds left on the clock, for a 7-2 lead at halftime.

“They intercepted a lot of our passes, which made it tough for us to transition to offense,” Mountain Valley coach Kristen Provencher said. “We’re still having some trouble catching the ball and they really capitalized on that.”

Allen responded with two straight goals to pull the Falcons to within four at 8-4, with 20 minutes remaining in the second half.

Edward Little proved strong in transition from there, and scored the final five goals of the game. Taylor Landry had two goals on assists by Kate Sawyer, who also finished with three goals and three helpers.

“My girls need to do a better job of helping each other,” Provencher said. “Sometimes we pass when there is no option and that almost always results in a turnover. Our shot selection needs to improve also, we can’t keep wasting scoring opportunities.”