LIVERMORE FALLS – There comes a point when a team turns the corner and all the work begins to pay off.

Livermore Falls reached that point Monday.

Tom Ventrella scored the lone goal on a pass from Caleb Barron in the second half and the Andies defense proved up the task in a 1-0 victory over Mt. Abram.

The strong winds forced the players to keep the ball grounded in order to avoid needless infractions. This provided for some anxious moments in a struggle to gain an advantage.

Livermore Falls (1-1-2) had advanced the ball into the Roadrunners’ zone and received a free kick to set-up a play. Baron used the wind at his back and bent his shot past the defensive wall. Ventrella corralled the ball on the left side, which forced goalie Sam Simpson to rush out. Ventrella drilled a low shot into the far corner at 15:16.

“Caleb sent the crossing pass over and it sailed past a defender,” Ventrella said. “That allowed me to stick it in the net.

“We had played that well against Lisbon, but today our defense was tough, and everyone was talking a lot on the field.”

Livermore Falls is waiting on a decision by the Maine Principal’ Association on its protest of a 3-3 tie against Dirigo in the season-opener. Kyle Whittemore scored with 25 seconds left in the second overtime, but the officials resumed play, and Dirigo scored with 1.6 seconds left. The rule states that any overtime game is sudden death, so the first goal wins the game.

“Every thing clicked today,” Livermore Falls coach Larry Thornton said. “In our first four games, something was missing, even in the first half today, but in the second half they took control and stayed aggressive and went after the ball.”

Mt. Abram (2-1-1) always seemed to be a step behind the Andies and was unable to mount a substained attack. This forced the Roadrunners to use numerous combinations, but even having the wind at their backs wasn’t enough.

Andies defenders Ryan Jackson, Trevor Timberlake and Justin Landry each cleared several balls, away. Mt. Abram did have opportunities, but the quicknessof goalie Willie Brown (11 saves) denied the Roadrunners.

Late in the game, Dmitrite Pepovic set up Alex Crossman from 15 yards out. Ian Daley and Phelan Berry also had shots cradled by Brown.

“We’re just not there, yet,” Mt. Abram coach Darren Allen said. “We had Alex Crossman for the first time, and we used three strikers. They didn’t get to the loose, 50-50 balls. We lacked the intensity Livermore Falls had today. We need to have everyone prepared to play 80 minutes.”