SOUTH PORTLAND — The Cape Elizabeth boys’ lacrosse team isn’t traditionally fond of playing on a grass field, but in a season where everything has gone the Capers’ way, even a game on grass against a top foe proved to be no problem Saturday afternoon.
The Capers never trailed and beat South Portland 16-7 at Martin Memorial Field.
Cape got goals from eight players and closed the contest on a 6-0 run to improve to 9-0.
“Any win on grass is a good win,” said Cape Elizabeth Coach Ben Raymond. “We’ve practiced on grass most of the week. It was great to see our guys running through ground balls and not reaching for them.”
The Capers raced to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Sam Dresser and Nic Boudreau. The Red Riots pulled within 3-2 behind a pair of goals from Alex Stevens, but Devon Lathrop scored after a faceoff win and Dresser added an unassisted tally for a 5-2 advantage.
South Portland got back within a goal early in the second quarter when Cullen Adams scored, but Cape Elizabeth’s defense, anchored by Max Patterson on Red Riots standout Cooper Mehlhorn, never allowed the Red Riots to pull even.
Goals by Phil Tarling and Colin Campbell helped the Capers take a 7-5 lead into halftime.
After Tarling and David Fiorini traded goals early in the third quarter, South Portland again looked to creep within one, but Cape Elizabeth goalie Jack Dresser made a couple clutch saves on shots by Fiorini. Archie McEvoy and Campbell then scored to stretch the lead.
Mehlhorn scored with just under a minute to play in the third, but in the start of a game-turning sequence, the Capers scored a pretty fast-break goal as Campbell finished a pass from Nick Martin. Lathrop then won the faceoff and scored to make it 12-7.
“Devon turned the game into a runaway,” Patterson said. “He’s an amazing faceoff guy and we’re lucky to have him.”
Cape Elizabeth ended any remaining doubt with goals from Sam Dresser, Martin and two by Benson Offit.
“We have so much perseverance,” Campbell said. “We never give up and we always work hard as a team.”
Jack Dresser finished with 13 saves for Cape Elizabeth. Quinn Watson stopped 12 shots for South Portland, but the Red Riots (5-2) remain winless all-time against Cape Elizabeth.
“I feel we played probably our worst game of the year,” said Red Riots Coach Tom Fiorini. “I keep going back to that third quarter when we had opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize on them. It got away from us because we couldn’t put the ball in the cage.”
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