SACO – Some days if one move works, you stick with it. For Drew Barry, the crease roll worked nearly every time Thursday.

Barry used the move to score her four goals, leading Portland to an 11-10 victory over Thornton Academy in a Class A girls’ lacrosse game at Hill Stadium.

It was the third straight win for the Bulldogs (5-2), who came in ranked eighth in Eastern Class A. The Trojans (4-2), ranked sixth in the West, lost for the second time in three games. Gorham beat Thornton 11-10 on May 3.

“I’m not disappointed,” said Thornton Coach Craig Agreste. “The girls are competing, they’re working hard. We’ve lost two games by two goals. We’ve got to do a better job tightening up on little mistakes that end up costing you.”

On Thursday, the trouble was winning the ball in midfield; Portland dominated the draw and chased down ground balls.

Then there was Barry and that crease roll. It went like this: As the Bulldogs worked the ball around the 12-meter mark, Barry slipped behind the Thornton cage.

“When my teammates pull it out wide, they’re trying to give me a lane,” Barry said. “When I see them do that, I need to fake and dodge and go.”

When the play is on, Barry cuts in front. She catches the ball, dodges to her right, drawing the defender. She comes back to her left, turns and shoots low.

“(Barry) is a heck of a player,” Agreste said. “We did everything we could except tackle her.”

Pretty as they were, Barry’s goals came at key points. Her first, at 13:02 of the first half, was the fourth of four straight to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead. Kaitlyn Pierson and Emily Fejedelem scored for the Trojans to make it 4-4. Barry struck again as Portland regained the lead 3:40 later, 5-4.

The Bulldogs led 6-4 at halftime, then scored twice in the opening 1:41 of the second half. Raechel Allen scored 58 seconds in to push the lead to 7-4, and Barry’s third goal 43 seconds later made it 8-4.

The Trojans rallied as Pierson scored again to cut Portland’s lead to 10-8 at 13:23.

But Barry rolled in front again to finish off a nice passing sequence with 9:13 to play to push it to 11-8.

Kendra Ermold and Carly McKenna pulled the Trojans within 11-10 with 5:40 to play.

Barry won the ensuing draw and Portland held possession. She was sent off for a two-minute penalty at 6:11, and the Bulldogs held the ball while playing with 10 players.

Barry returned and helped Portland hold the ball as time wound down.

“We played with a lot of composure all the way to the end,” said Portland’s first-year coach, Kait Johnson. “Things really didn’t go our way for a while there in the second half but that’s lacrosse. We battled, and I’m very proud of the girls.”

Kylie Dalbec added two and Catherine Flaherty had one for Portland. Abbie O’Brien had three saves for the Bulldogs. Allie McCarthy made 14 for Thornton.

“This is a real confidence booster,” said Allen, who finished with four goals. “We showed we can win against the better teams.”

 

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