GARDINER — Sophia Marrone knows an early goal can either deflate or energize a team’s morale.

In Tuesday’s girls soccer match against Morse, the Gardiner senior captain made sure her team would experience the latter.

Marrone scored twice, in the seventh and 39th minutes, giving the Tigers enough of a cushion to hold on for a 2-1 win.

“I always tell the team, ‘You really want to knock the wind out of the other team’s sails early on,'” Marrone said. “Because I know; I’ve been on the other end of it. It sucks when you get scored against early, so if we can do that to other teams, it definitely changes the momentum of the game completely.”

Gardiner is now 5-1, and Morse is 4-1-1. The two teams meet again on Sept. 30 in Bath.

Marrone’s first goal, a roller to the right post, was a result of Gardiner’s high pressure presence, as the ball rarely left the Tigers’ attacking half for the first 18 minutes. The home team had two chances to double its lead on an open net in the 14th and 18th minutes, but follow-up shots sailed high or were cleared by the Shipbuilders’ backline.

With 1:31 left in the first half, Marrone found the top right corner of the net with an effortless chip, spinning in from the left side of the box.

Morse coach Dave Beauregard described the Shipbuilders’ first-half effort as sluggish and soft, but said the energy and intensity picked up because of a captain-led discussion at halftime.

The Shipbuilders cut into their deficit in the 57th minute when junior forward Emma Wallace found senior midfielder Zoe Nicholson for a corner-kick goal.

“You hear it all the time, 2-0 is one of the worst leads to have in soccer,” Gardiner coach Jessica Prince said. “It’s not as comfortable as it looks, but (Morse) came out super strong.”

Gardiner hasn’t been in many tight score situations this season, so Prince made sure her team, which was dealing with illness and injury, took a defensive-minded approach in the final 10 minutes. Marrone moved from the midfield to the center back position, paired with sophomore Zoey Epperson.

Morse continued its improved attack, with Nicholson, Wallace and Selah Park taking turns at leading the charge, but shots from outside the box sailed high or were scooped up by Gardiner keeper Maggie Blais (five saves).

“We were in attack mode, keep coming down (the field), and then we just couldn’t get that final thing in for a shot off,” Beauregard said. “Missing the last pass.”

Hannah Keller stopped seven shots for Morse.