The dreaded red-shirted Wildcats from Archbishop Murphy came calling Thursday night, determined to brush the pesky Falcons off the soccer field.

Archbishop Murphy won 2-1, but it took them to the last seconds of the second period to do it.

South Whidbey remains in the middle of the Cascade pack at 3-3 while ATM stays at second (5-1) behind undefeated Cedarcrest (6-0).

The Falcons kept the game scoreless for 26 minutes before Wildcat Jessica Hoffman fired a straight-ahead shot with a perfect trajectory, which took it just inches from the outstretched fingers of Falcon goalie Amelia Cave.

The team’s aggressive quotient has been bumped up several notches with Kelsey Kimmel’s return from a leg injury.

Kimmel roamed the field like an avenging angel in Falcon blue and white, mixing it up with any opponent who dared get in her way. She was a singular force and the other players rise to her unspoken challenge to be better.

Coach Paul Arand is happy to have Kimmel back.

“She adds a special dimension to the offense,” he said. “She embodies the philosophy that when we don’t own the ball, we’re all defenders. All of us are on offense when we do have the ball; you do what it takes to get the job done.”

“And Amelia had several great saves tonight; she gets better with each game,” Arand added.

In the second period, sophomore Karissa Thomas made South Whidbey’s only goal — a header on a free kick assisted by midfield senior Jennifer Shafer.

Then, in the final minute, ATM’s Andrea Gaitan curved a shot to the goal to steal the win.

The girls travel to Lakewood Oct. 3, then host winless Coupeville on Oct. 5.

Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or sports@southwhidbeyrecord.com.