FREEPORT

If there was ever a situation where a team wanted to reset time, Wednesday’s Eastern Maine Class B regional boys lacrosse title game was it for Freeport High School.

With a large and excited home crowd looking on, the fourth-seeded Yarmouth Clippers scored eight goals before many in attendance were comfortable in their seats en route to a 16-3 victory over the No. 2 Falcons.

Yarmouth improved to 10-5 and is slated to take on Western B champ Cape Elizabeth, an 11-8 victor over Falmouth, on Saturday in Portland.

After the first quarter, Freeport hung tough, but the damage was done and the Clippers held the Falcons to one goal in the second half.

“If we could erase that first quarter, the game would have been closer,” said Freeport coach Geoff Arris, whose Falcons finished 9-6 after qualifying for a regional final for the first time. “They are bred for the tournament, and Yarmouth should hold their heads high for this one. We were psyched, and with no seniors we are looking to come out next year bigger and stronger.”

Zone trouble

Freeport opened the game in a defensive zone. But, Yarmouth quickly figured the Falcons’ strategy out, camping forward Brendan Dioli behind the cage and having him pass to his cutting teammates. Dioli assisted on Max Watson’s opening goal just 1:32 in, and goals by Joseph Oliva (from Dioli), Matthew Beatty and Dioli made for a 4-0 contest with 6:35 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Clippers maintained possession thanks to the work of face-off specialist Walter Conrad, who won nine of 10 in the quarter. Dioli set up Dylan Tureff and Oliva 31 seconds apart for a 6-0 game, with Arris calling a timeout. Prior to the game and throughout the first quarter, Freeport played nervous, something Arris tried to combat prior to the contest.

“I tried to keep them loose, not letting them suit up until late, just trying to keep them as calm as possible, but the starters were anxious and nervous,” said Arris.

After the timeout, Freeport’s Ramsey Dodge received a pass from Eli Fox and bounced a shot past Yarmouth keeper Connor Hoehle (seven saves) to get the Falcons on the board.

But, Yarmouth answered quickly, as William Jacobs slipped a shot past Freeport goaltender Zac Wogan, and moments later Brady Neujahr made it an 8-1 contest after a quarter.

“All I can say is our guys have been building all year for this,” said Yarmouth (10-5) coach David Pearl. “We seem to be hitting our stride. We were coming off a win over Maranacook, an undefeated team, and we were able to score quickly there. It carried over to this week.”

The Falcons caught their breath between the first and second quarters, with Freeport slowing things down and staying with the Clippers. Sam Wogan scored for Freeport to cut Yarmouth’s lead to 8-2.

“We did get stronger after the first quarter,” said Arris. “But, Yarmouth is a strong, elite team, and we didn’t react well early to their pressure. Every time we had a down, Yarmouth came at us.”

The Clippers scored twice in transition to close the first half, with Patrick Grant and Andrew Beatty each scoring for a 10-2 advantage at the break.

Yarmouth began the second half quickly, with a goal each coming from the stick of Neujahr and Dioli for a 12-2 edge. A goal by Brady LaFrance, off a nice setup from Connor Dostie, got the Freeport crowd cheering, but Matthew Beatty scored one minute later for a 13-3 Clippers edge heading to the fourth quarter.

In all, 15 Clippers figured in the scoring, led by Dioli with two goals and four assists, and Matthew Beatty with two goals and a helper. Oliva and Grant chipped in two goals each.

Zac Wogan did his best in the Freeport goal, turning aside 10 shots.

Despite the loss, Arris is excited about his team’s future.

“We want these kids to keep moving forward, stay grounded and come back next year ready to go,” said Arris.

“Hopefully many of us will play in the offseason and come back bigger, stronger and faster,” said Dodge. “We thought this was going to be a tough season, being so young, but we got used to winning, and it turned out being a good season.”

Yarmouth outshot Freeport, 33-18, and held a big edge in face-offs, 16-7. The Clippers held a 32-21 advantage in groundballs, led by Conrad with seven. Sam Wogan paced Freeport with six groundballs.