FARMINGTON – Mt. Blue High School lacrosse (1-8) challenged Lawrence High School (3-3) at home on Saturday in front of a bustling crowd at the den. The Cougars have been improving their play through physicality despite their rough run in the record books.
The Cougars kept the match close early with competitive physical play. The Bulldogs rang the first bell with 6:32 remaining in the first quarter. Sam Smith equalized the tally with the first of his four net finders. The Cougars clawed their way to a lead with 2:35 left in the first with Smith’s second goal. Lawrence’s relentless offense would not be outdone, the Bulldogs took another bite with just 72 seconds to go in the first quarter, tying the match at two a piece.
The second quarter went much the way of the first, slap happy defenders jostled possession away from eager ball carriers. The Bulldogs found the back of the net three times to the Cougars two. At halftime Mt. Blue was still very much in the fight, down in the score column 4-5.
The third quarter featured a lull in offensive potency while both teams tried to steady their possession. Each side only mustered one goal through fierce defense and heads-up net minding. The Bulldogs increased their lead to two goals with 10:46 on the clock. The Cougars answered the call after nine and a half minutes of goal free play, ending the third 6-5 to favor the dogs.
The fourth frame was a scoring barrage compared to the earlier stanzas. Lawrence used crisper handling to their open teammates to ring the goal gong three times in the first three minutes. The Cougars showed no quit despite the 9-5 deficit, answering four seconds after a man down penalty was awarded with a Quinn Guistra goal. Roughly two minutes later Cougar nation applauded Smith’s forth and final goal to cut the Bulldog lead to just a 9-7 score. However, the final scores of the match would belong to the Bulldogs, ending the Cougars chances at a second win, losing 11-7 to Lawrence.
The Cougars lacrosse team will look to bounce back against Maranacook/Winthrop on May 23, taking place at Kents Hill School starting at 4pm.
