In telling the story of the Bow soccer team’s first victory of the season, a 4-0 final over Merrimack Valley, Coach George Pinkham turned his focus to the Falcons’ previous game against Pembroke.

One was a win. The other sure felt like one.

“We played well that game. It was a game that could have been won by us or them,” Pinkham said about the 2-1 loss to the Spartans. “I told the guys ‘Hey, we’re right there.’ ”

By Tuesday, the lesson from the moral victory had sunk in enough for the Falcons to finally nab the real thing. Bow (1-3) was terrific against the Pride (1-3) in seizing its first Division II victory, taking command of a close game with goals from four different players – including one from Chris Gallier, who added three assists.

It was Bow’s second straight strong showing after two disappointing losses to Lebanon and Goffstown in which Pinkham said the Falcons were “manhandled.”

“That was kind of a measuring stick to see if they got the message from me,” he said about the Pembroke game. “And they did. That’s the first game as a coach that I felt comfortable.”

He felt even better Tuesday, and Gallier had a lot to do with it. The junior fed Jake Andrews with a centering pass for his first varsity goal 29 minutes in, then headed in a perfect cross from Brian Bushnell 15 minutes into the second half to make it 2-0.

Gallier set up the final two goals as well, tallies from Max Elsasser and Bryce Northrup in the 75th and 77th minutes, respectively.

“Gallier really stepped up big time,” Pinkham said. “He’s playing very well this year.”

The Falcons also had to overcome the absences of captains Chase Chamberlain, who broke his nose against Pembroke, and J.P. Merchan. They found a way, leaving them with some newfound confidence in a new division and their coach with a feeling that the rough patch could be behind them.

“It feels great to win a game,” Pinkham said. “We’re headed in the right direction.”