CAPE ELIZABETH – Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be a statement game, but the unbeaten Cape Elizabeth boys’ lacrosse team made one anyway.
The Capers, the top team in Western Class B, rolled to a 12-2 victory while dominating Cheverus, one of the top teams in Eastern Class A, in a crossover game Friday night.
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“It’s Class A and it’s Cheverus, and they have a great record,” Cape Elizabeth defender Ned Melanson said. “We really wanted to show that Class B is the best class in the state. Hopefully we’re the best team in the state.”
The Capers (7-0) executed almost flawlessly for the first three quarters.
“We did a really good job of slowing things down and getting good possessions, and that’s important,” said Alex Bornick, who had three goals and two assists.
Most of Cape’s goals came at the end of lengthy possessions.
“When we take the ball down and we rush and we go too fast, we usually make stupid decisions,” Bornick said. “Rushing it usually ends with a turnover. We actually did a good job slowing down, working the ball around. We ended up with lots of passes, good possessions, and from there things opened up.”
The Capers, who held a 41-18 advantage in shots, built a 5-1 lead in the first period.
The Stags (6-2) opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game when Nick Schleh put in a shot from 15 yards, but their second goal didn’t come until Spencer Amberson scored on a fast break with 8.7 seconds remaining in the game.
“For us, it’s all about the pressure on the ball,” Melanson said. “We’re really trying to keep teams on the edge and make them make bad passes. We have a great team defense. We don’t have one star on the field. It’s a unit, that’s all it is.”
Tim Lavallee and Justin Cary also scored three goals apiece for the Capers. Forrest Hewitt added a goal and an assist. Tom Bottomley and Cam Wilson each followed with a goal, and Brian Brett had two assists.
The loss snapped the Stags’ six-game winning streak, but Coach Deke Andrew said his team still got something positive out of the game.
“You go from beating somebody by eight or nine goals to get beaten by 10 goals,” he said. “I think it’s good. It kind of checks everybody.”
On Wednesday, Cheverus cruised to a 13-5 victory against Westbrook.
“You learn to play against a lot of pressure and you also learn if people are going to stay together in a game like this, or if they’re going to turn on each other,” Andrew said. “The guys stayed intense throughout the entire game.”
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
Twitter: PaulBetitPPH
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