Rachel Wall of Freeport, right, settles a pass while Ella Bergeron of Mt. Ararat, left, tries to defend her in a girls soccer game at Riverside Park in Topsham on Tuesday. Eli Canfield/Times Record

TOPSHAM — The Mt. Ararat and Freeport girls soccer teams met for the first time this season, squaring off at Riverside Field on Tuesday. 

It was a cold and windy day at the field, but the temperatures didn’t hinder the goal scoring. The wind certainly played a role in the scoring barrage.

“The wind definitely played a factor today,” said Freeport senior midfielder Carly Intraversato. “Using the wind to your advantage was useful.”

The Falcons beat the Eagles 5-3, with six of the goals coming in the second half. 

“We played a lot smarter in the second half,” said Mt. Ararat head coach Chad Kirk. “We continue to play hard and build together.”

Riverside Field is much different than the home turf that Freeport is used to playing on. 

Isadora Theberge of Mt. Ararat, left, tries to get past Freeport midfielder Savannah Tracy, right, in a girls soccer game at Riverside Park in Topsham on Tuesday. Eli Canfield/Times Record

“We aren’t used to playing on grass as much,” said Freeport senior forward Rachel Wall. “We play a lot quicker on turf, so adjusting to grass is a little bit difficult for us.”

Added Intraversato: “It’s so different. The ball really slows down so much quicker.”

The game was tied 1-1 at halftime on goals from Eliza Libby (Mt. Ararat) and Wall.

Freeport put a lot of pressure on the Eagles in the second half, but Mt. Ararat goalie Elsa Dauleiro (15 saves) continued to deny their attempts. 

As the wind picked up, so did the speed of the game. 

Freeport got a goal from Kate Tracy shortly into the half, but the Eagles responded quickly with a Hannah Hawkes’ goal that tied the game once again. 

One minute later, Intraversato struck a free kick into the back of the net to regain the lead, but Hawkes tied the game quickly after an individual effort down the side before chipping the ball over the arms of Freeport goalie Lauren Roussel (2 saves). 

Just a minute after a Wall penalty kick that struck the crossbar, Taryn Curry gave Freeport the lead off a rebounded save by Dauleiro. 

Curry added another goal minutes later to double the Falcons lead with just over 13 minutes remaining in the game. 

“We played a good team (Tuesday),” said Kirk. “I was glad to see the energy we provided in the second half to keep us in it.” 

This was just the Falcons second game of the season, after losing on Saturday to Brunswick. 

“It’s difficult to just jump right into the season with no preseason games,” said Freeport head coach David Intraversato.