Biddeford’s Colin Petit carries the ball down the field while Portland’s Max Cheever defends him. The Bulldogs won 12-8 on Wednesday night. MAUREEN GRANDMAISON PHOTOGRAPHY
BIDDEFORD – The Biddeford boys lacrosse team battled against visiting Portland but ultimately fell 12-8 to the Bulldogs on Wednesday evening at Waterhouse Field.
The Bulldogs secured the win with a 5-2 run in the second half.
“I told the kids, ’I’m okay if we get beat by a better team, Portland’s certainly a very good team, but when we beat ourselves that’s what makes it tough’,” said Biddeford coach Jason Martel. “When you spend most of the second half in the penalty box that makes it one tough game.”
A minute and 20 seconds into the first quarter, Sam Gerber scored to give Portland the lead.
Biddeford answered back quickly, when Kaigan Munch tossed the ball into Portland’s net.
The teams would score back-to-back to create a 3-3 tie with three minutes left in the first period.
Biddeford’s CJ Thorne scored with just over a minute left in the first quarter to give the Tigers the lead.
“It got a little out of control in the first quarter,” said Portland head coach Mike Difusco. “We weren’t playing our game.”
During the second quarter, Biddeford scored three goals to produce a 6-3 lead.
With six minutes left in the first half, Portland went on a 4-0 run to earn a 7-6 lead going into the second.
“We started settling down in the second quarter, started getting some good possessions, started putting the ball in the back of the net got some confidence and kept it going,” said Difusco.
At the start of the third quarter, Munch knocked in a goal to create a 7-7 tie.
Portland’s Evan Bay responded with a score to give the Bulldogs the lead right back.
“They kept it really close,” said Martel. “They had the opportunity – we were there 6-3 and then we got a couple locked (into the penalty box) and took it to 7-6 at half and then we continued the penalties in the second half – it’s just tough to overcome that.”
During the fourth quarter, several penalties on the Tigers helped lead to four Bulldog points.
Colin Petit scored over the shoulder of the goalie with 4:11 left in regulation to generate the final 12-8 score.
“On a positive note, these guys completely tried to pick up the slack for playing man down – they really worked,” said Martel. “You look at the numbers, you look at the size of the teams, these kids just wouldn’t stop.”
Munch led the Tigers with a game-high four points. Thorne added two goals, while Nick McSorley and Petit finished with one score each.
Grant Jacobson and Bay led the Bulldogs with three points each. Gerber and Nicholas Leavitt finished with two each, while Mikias Silva and Cyrus MacCachran tossed in one each.
Portland improves to 3-0 on the season. Biddeford drops to 2-2.
“They learned something here today that they can run with the big teams,” said Martel. “Emotions run high — you’re working all four quarters and then things start getting chippy — you have to contain it and play controlled lacrosse.”
Biddeford travels to Bonny Eagle, while Portland hosts Mount Ararat on Friday.
“I’m excited to see where we’ll be at the end of the year,” said Martel. “They’re not afraid to take on anybody class A or B they’ll take anybody – tough loss but I’m proud of them.”
— Sports Writer Sienna Barstow can be reached at sbarstow@journaltribune.com or at 780-9018. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports
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