RICHMOND

Two consecutive seasons, it was rival Greenville that sent the Richmond High School boys soccer team home for the winter.

The Bobcats’ dominating 5- 0 Western Maine Class D title game victory over the fourthseeded Lakers on Wednesday sends Richmond back to the State Class D title game for the first time since 2011 and puts those demons to rest.

Richmond (13-2-2) will face four-time Class D champion Bangor Christian in Saturday’s contest at McMann Field in Bath, with kick-off slated for 5:30 p.m.

Against Greenville, the Bobcats turned a 1-0 halftime lead into a runaway, scoring three goals in the opening 15 minutes of the second frame.

“We just got the ball on the ground and made our passes today,” said Richmond striker Mike Stewart, who picked up a pair of assists. “This has been a great season for us, and to come back and knock off Greenville is big.”

“We were able to execute our gameplan,” said Richmond coach Joe Scribellito, who praised goaltender Dustin Sullivan, who made five saves in the win, including two late point-blank stops on Greenville standout Matt DiAngelo. “Dustin made some great saves, and just didn’t want to lose that shutout. This is a big weight lifted off our shoulders. This was their dream to get to states, and once we got rolling the dream came true. These guys haven’t been to a championship since playing in Hampden a few years ago. I am glad we are not going to Hampden.”

Lakers coach Jeff Richards had concerns coming into this game after his team played a double-overtime marathon against top-seeded Pine Tree Academy on Monday at Freeport, a 4-3 Lakers win.

“We were gassed after playing on Monday, and I just knew that Richmond was very talented and that it was going to be a tough matchup for us,” said Richards, whose squad ended the season with a 12-4-1 mark.

Lorbeski goal

Neither team generated much offense in the game’s opening 20 minutes. DiAngelo had the best chance for Greenville, with his shot from 25 yards slipping inches wide of Sullivan’s cage.

Greenville starting goaltender Howie Stone stopped a Nate Tribbett shot moments later to keep the game scoreless.

Stone had little chance on the game’s first goal. Richmond forward Sam Lorbeski gathered a lead pass from Brendan Emmons and sprinted past a Lakers defender. Stone came out of his net, but Lorbeski made one last move, with Stone colliding with a teammate, and the Richmond striker fired inside the far post for a 1-0 lead.

“Greenville was saying that I was slow, so I was able to sprint 30 yards, make a few moves and kick it into the back of the goal,” said Lorbeski.

Richmond held a 7-4 shots advantage in the opening frame, with Sullivan turning aside two shots and Stone one.

Greenville wasn’t as fortunate in the second half. Emmons headed a cross from Stewart past Stone 4:45 in for a 2-0 lead. Richards relieved Stone of his goaltending duties and moved him to midfield, but the strategy failed to pay dividends as Nate Tribbett drilled a shot past backup netminder Matt Mendes with 31 minutes left, and Cody Tribbett made it a 4-0 contest six minutes later.

“They realized that they had to have a counter-punch to get back into the game, and our guys just kept coming and scoring,” said Scribellito.

Stone returned to the net momentarily before being relieved by Even Sullivan, who permitted Richmond’s fifth goal with two minutes remaining, Lorbeski’s second off an assist from Nate Tribbett.

Defensively, Richmond sweeper Tyler Soucy won his one-on-one battle with DiAngelo, with an assist from Sullivan.

“He is good, quick, and a load to deal with throughout a game,” said Soucy. “We just felt that we needed this win against Greenville.”

Lorbeski feels the Western D champs are ready for the challenge of Saturday’s matchup with Bangor Christian, a 3-1 winner over Easton on Wednesday in the Eastern D title game.

“After a 5-0 win, this gives us a lot of confidence heading into states on Saturday,” said Lorbeski, who was on the phone moments after the game with his older brother and former Richmond standout Peter. “We are so happy to be going back to states. My brother called me before the game and kept checking in with my parents during the game. He is excited that we are heading back.”

Richmond owned a 24-10 shots advantage and a 5-2 edge in corner kicks. The three Greenville goaltenders combined on nine saves.

No. 2 Richmond 5, No. 4 Greenville 0

Western Maine Class D
Championship, At Richmond
Greenville — 0 0 — 0
Richmond — 1 4 — 5
Goals — (R) Sam Lorbeski 2, Brendan Emmons, Nate Tribbett, Cody
Tribbett.
Assists — (R) Brendan Emmons,
Mike Stewart 2, Peter Lorbeski, Nate
Tribbett.
Shots — Richmond 24, Greenville
10.
Saves — (G) Howie Stone 3, Matt
Mendes 3, Even Sullivan 3; (R)
Dustin Sullivan 5.
Corner kicks — Richmond 5,
Greenville 2.
Records — Richmond 13-2-2,
Greenville 12-4-1.
Up next for Richmond — Saturday in
the State Class D Championship
against Eastern D champ Bangor
Christian (15-0), 5:30 p.m. at
McMann Field in Bath.