Special to the Leader

The Scarborough boys lacrosse team won three games to start their season last week, but had to overcome some obstacles along the way.

The Red Storm opened on a hot and windy 90 degree day against a spirited Falmouth squad, and were challenged all afternoon. Playing without scoring machine Jake Barrett, other players had to step up in a game that saw them behind by a goal in the fourth quarter, before scoring three straight  to pull away to a 7-5 victory.

The player of the game was sophomore Connor Gullifer, who hit for four goals in his first varsity appearance. Playing attack, Gullifer was in position all day to take advantage of some great passes and was ready when the opportunity arose to score.

“Connor Gullifer came up huge with four goals,” head coach Joe Hezlep said. “I think all of his scores either tied the game or put us in the lead.” 

The defense, which was slow to react in the first half, really came to life in the second half and made life difficult for the Yachtsmen. Jimmy Soules, James Wright and Peter Tuma all increased their efforts late in the game, and the effect was clear, with the Storm finding transition opportunities that led to the game winning scores.

Asked what he thought of the game overall, Hezlep said, “We were sloppy, but that’s to be expected since we only had one day of scrimmage. Falmouth is very disciplined and well-coached and they came to play.”

Next up for the Red storm was a game against the Massabesic Mustangs. Senior Jake Barrett made his first appearance of the year, and it was one the Mustangs would rather hadn’t happened. Barrett scored 7 goals and added an assist for good measure, showing why he is one of the top scorers in the entire state. 

Hezlep said the performance wasn’t a fluke. “Jake Barrett can play at that level all the time, and that’s what we expect to get from him every game.”

The Red Storm were missing seven players from the game, including several who typically see quality minutes, but were never pressed by Massabesic, which just wasn’t on the same level as the Scarborough squad.

First year player and  senior goalie Ryan Kane also made a number of impressive saves during the game. Just as importantly, he gained important real game experience that will be put to the test against the tougher opponents to come.

The Massabesic game did feature a couple of slick offensive plays with the tight passing that always separates the champs from the rest of the pack in lacrosse. 

In the first, middie Danny Clark rushed the right side of the Mustang defensive perimeter, shifting the defense before flipping back to Brendan Ham in the center. Ham made a quick move to the goal and when the defense approached, hit Matt Mayo with a quick pass just outside the crease and Mayo rammed home a hard shot over the goalie’s head. 

In the second, middie Nick Neugebauer stole a pass at mid field and raced towards the goal, hitting Mayo with a sharp pass up on the goalies left. Mayo then shot a grounder, while falling backwards, that slid past for the score. 

Both plays featured movement with crisp passing, and the Red Storm will need all that and more as the games continue and the competition improves.

To end the week, Scarborough took on Deering Saturday afternoon, that was also the Storm’s home opener. The Ram’s have historically been a tough opponent, but graduation and transfers seem to have bitten deeply into the team, as Scarborough cruised to an 11-0 lead through 3 quarters, before Hezlep took out his starters, just as he did against Massabesic, and the teams traded goals to finish the game at 13-2. 

Once again Jake Barrett led all scorers with four tallies, and fellow senior Nick Broadhurst added a hat trick of his own. Scarborough had their way in this game, with Deering never mounting a serious threat, and in fact rarely even venturing into the Red Storm defensive zone. 

Hezlep was glad to have all of his players at a game, finally, but thinks they can improve.  “It was the first time we had all our guys here, and we were able to work in couple of new things. It helps, but we need to get more fluid on our offense.”

The Red Storm will have to gain that team synergy quickly. They face a brutal schedule over the next three games, with a newly resurgent North Yarmouth Academy, Class A rival Portland, and State B Champs Yarmouth up next.

The Storm play Yarmouth on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.