BATH — The term ‘a tale of two halves’ was on display on Saturday.

After a back-and-forth first half that saw just a one goal difference at halftime, the Brunswick girls lacrosse team stepped up its game and didn’t look back in the second, coasting to a 14-6 victory over Morse on a sunny afternoon at McMann Field in Bath.

“We needed to refocus and reestablish ourselves during that break on what we came here to accomplish,” said Brunswick head coach EmaLeigh Aschbrenner. “The girls always know what they’re doing on both sides of the field, they just needed that little extra talk and motivation that moment in time.”

The Dragons (2-1) outscored the Shipbuilders 8-1 in the second half.

“I am so proud of the way we played today. Every girl on the team did something that they should be proud of,” said Brunswick senior attack Emily Cloutier, who scored a game-high seven goals. “It’s always a great feeling to score a goal, but I feel that same feeling when I see a teammate do the same thing. I try not to focus on me, I just do what I can to help the team do what we want to do.”

Cloutier attests the bond the Dragons have created on and off the field does wonders for their chemistry when it comes time for a game.

“Today our passing was really crisp which led to opportunities for us to score. That comes from the connection that this team has,” Cloutier said. “We know where everyone is at all times and know how to play with each other. It definitely shows when we play like this.”

Toward the end of the first half, Brunswick was holding a 6-3 lead until Morse’s (0-2) Mary LaRochelle scored two goals in the final minute of the half to make it a one-goal game going into the break.

While the goals may have given the Shipbuilders (0-2) all the momentum, the Dragons were intent of stopping the end of half spurt.

“I’d say it put the fire underneath the Dragon,” said Aschbrenner with a laugh. “Morse played a really strong game. We knew that we had to perform like we did in the second half if we wanted to come away with a win.”

While Morse was ready for the second half and gained possession early on, the Dragons took control and didn’t look back. After LaRochelle’s free shot came up wide, the Dragons held possession and scored five unanswered goals in the first 15 minutes of the half.

“We played 25 minutes of great lacrosse,” said LaRochelle. “Now we have to go out there and play a great full game.”

The Dragons would go on to score three more unanswered goals before the Shipbuilders were able to break through in the final minutes. 

While the offensive output was more than enough to take care of business, Aschbrenner made a point to give her defense some praise.

“Our defense stepped up big today, especially our goalie (Alamea McCarthy),” said Aschbrenner. “They kept us out of trouble.”

McCarthy finished the game with three saves.

LaRochelle paced the Shipbuilders’ offense with four goals, while Wren Tetreault and Delaney Pascuzzo each added goals.

Cecelia Slocum added two goals for the Dragons and Gwen Thom, Gia Guernelli, Lily Hatrick and Elizabeth Putnam all had a goal apiece. 

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