SCARBOROUGH — It took Cam Nigro a half to figure out where the open spaces were and how best to get there.

Then, Scarborough’s senior midfielder found another set of open spaces – in South Portland’s goal.

Scarborough's John Stolz, left, drives with the ball as Finn Zechman of South Portland chases him Friday during Scarborough's 13-10 boys' lacrosse victory. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Nigro scored four of his five goals in the third quarter, including three straight to close the frame and open a three-goal lead as Scarborough (2-1) pulled away from South Portland for a 13-10 win in a Class A South boys’ lacrosse game Friday.

“I think in the first part of the game we just had to settle down and figure out their defense,” Nigro said. “Then we realized they were pretty much just playing man-on-man. So if we could beat our one man, we definitely got a good look inside.”

Nigro’s final tally came with 1.7 seconds left in the third quarter for a 10-7 lead. The transition opportunity started after Scarborough goalie Dom Joy made back-to-back stops on South Portland’s Jack Fiorini and Mitchell Adams.

Early in the game, Joy (12 saves) made three key saves on Fiorini to keep the South Portland offense in check. The 6-foot-5 Fiorini was well marked by Scarborough’s own big body, defenseman Reece Lagerquist, throughout the game.

“That was the best Dom has played this year,” Scarborough Coach Joe Hezlep said. “He played confident. He was helping out his defense and he was seeing the ball well. When he got a chance to see the ball – when our defense was doing what they were supposed to do – he played extremely well.”

Scarborough had a 41-19 edge in ground balls.

“They killed us on ground balls,” South Portland Coach Tom Fiorini said. “That clearly was a huge difference in the game.”

Scarborough pushed the lead to 13-7 in the fourth quarter on scores from Sam Neugebauer (two goals, one assist), Marc Guerette (two goals) and Marco Manfra (four goals, one assist).

It was South Portland’s first regular-season game, and the two-time defending regional champions, who start three freshmen at attack, looked a bit out of sorts at times. Defensive-zone clearance was an issue throughout the game and led directly to three of Scarborough’s first six goals.

“We had many opportunities to close the gap on them in the second half,” Coach Tom Fiorini said. “We have three freshmen on attack in a pretty high-pressure game, the first game of the year, and it’s (Scarborough’s) third game of the year. I think a little edge to them there. When we see them in the playoffs – and we will see them in the playoffs – I think we’ll have a different story.”

South Portland midfielder Jake Angell scored four goals and was efficient with his shot-making. Jack Fiorini finished with two goals and three assists.

Related Stories