SACO — The boys soccer game between Thornton Academy and Massabesic Tuesday was a tale of two halves. The teams played back and forth in the first half, with both teams collecting a handful of near misses.

Brandon Lasante gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead with 4:28 to go before half, but it still seemed to be anybody’s game. The second half was another story, as Lasante, just a freshman, scored two more goals to pick up a hat trick, and the Trojans rolled to a 6-1 win at Hill Stadium.

“I told the guys at halftime, we just keep doing what we’re going to do,” said Thornton head coach Andy Carlson. “Chances are going to be there still, and we just got to make sure we finish them.”

And finish they did. Lasante put the Trojans up 2-0 a little more than five minutes in on a pass from Eric Gooch, who assisted on Lasante’s first goal. Lasante then scored again on a breakaway six minutes later to complete the hat trick.

Surafel Zunser scored on a penalty kick for Massabesic less than a minute later, but it was too little, too late for the Mustangs. Zunser saw a couple of quality chances in the first half that missed wide or found the goalie. Massabesic head coach Sean Allaire said he was happy to see Zunser finally get a goal.

“It’s nice to see him rewarded. He’s one of those players that likes to play for that reward. So it keeps him motivated,” Allaire said.

Thornton Academy got goals from Paul Arabatzis, Alex Pickering and Liam Eisnhauer all in the last 15 minutes of the game.

“I don’t think we played that vastly different in the second half,” Carlson said. “I think they tired a bit. They’re a little banged up, and probably not quite as deep.”

Lasante didn’t look like a freshman while notching a hat trick so early in his first varsity season, Carlson said.

“He was the hot hand today. (Massabesic) was stepping up a bit, and he’s a pretty quick guy, and he has no problem going to goal,” Carlson said. “More importantly, I think his teammates found him. They understood that he was in rhythm. They looked to feed him. It’s nice for him to get those. We’ll see if we can come back, and he can get a few more the rest of the season.”

The win bumped the Trojans’ record to 3-1. TA’s lone loss was a 2-0 home defeat to Kennebunk.

Massabesic fell to 1-2-1, and the Mustangs are still looking to score more than one goal in a game.

— Contact Wil Kramlich at 282-1535, Ext. 323 or follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.

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