RUMFORD – With three starters out, the Mountain Valley girls’ lacrosse team needed someone to step forward and lead.

That’s exactly what it got.

Brittany Coulombe scored four goals and Ayla Allen added three – including a pair 14 seconds apart late in the second half – as the Falcons pulled out an 11-8 win against Camden Hills at chilly Hosmer Field on Monday.

Mountain Valley (4-5) led throughout, but when the Falcons needed an extra boost, Coulombe and Allen took control. It was Coulumbe who carried the ball over 55 yards, moved to the right and drilled the ball in to the far corner of the net with 4:54 left in the game. The Falcons won the ensuing face off and Allen, a freshman, rushed in to beat Camden Hills goalie Rebecca Stoutamyer (20 saves) for a 10-8 lead.

“We definitely felt the pressure today,” Coulombe, a senior co-captain, said. “We needed to get through it. I adjusted by cradling the ball and shooting it low toward the goalie’s feet.”

The atmosphere had changed dramatically after the Windjammers’ Brittany Rubenstein (three goals) had scored to tie the game at eight with 5:05 left. It was the third consecutive goal by Camden Hills (0-8), which used its speed to highlight a strong transition game with Katie McHenry.

“This win was the result of team work,” MV coach Rick White said. “There were three starters missing, so we needed to make some adjustments. Ayla Allen and Shainna Mills both are offensive players, but they moved back to defense today and did a good job. Our goalie Hollie Theriault came up with a couple big saves when Camden was putting the pressure on in the final minutes.”

Seniors Emily Child and Catlin O’Connell each scored two goals. The Falcons needed a strong showing after coming up short in three games in a row, including a 12-11 setback to Oxford Hills and an overtime loss to Edward Little.

“This feels a lot better,” Columbe said. “It was very disappointing, last week. We had come in to those games with (momentum), but didn’t get the job done.”

Mountain Valley controls its own destiny in a quest to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. The Falcons need to win two of their final three games.

The Falcons took a 6-4 lead after O’Connell scored with 1:37 to go before halftime. Early in the second half, Child rushed 50 yards to score and Allen split four Windjammer players before one-timing a shot past Stoutamyer.

The Falcons distributed the ball well and weren’t one-dimensional in their attack, using a solid transition game to generate fast breaks and scoring opportunities by setting high screens for players.