BRUNSWICK – Maybe there’s something to be said for a playoff loss that doesn’t leave a team wallowing in the what-ifs all summer.

Lewiston doesn’t have to curse a tough call or lament a missed opportunity. Brunswick is undefeated, deeper, the two-time defending Eastern Class A girls’ lacrosse champion, and just plain better, for now.

The No. 1 Dragons scored the first seven goals Saturday morning and rolled to an 18-5 semifinal victory. They’ll be similarly favored against Oxford Hills in Wednesday’s regional final.

You can’t see it with the naked eye, but Blue Devils coach Bill Grant said that the rest of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference is gaining.

“Lewiston and Oxford Hills and Cony are going to be catching up to them,” Grant said, “because we do have the feeder programs now.”

Until then, feeding time is at the Dragons’ cage, where nine different players cashed in at least once.

Abby Weeks, one of only six seniors on a roster of 20, bolstered Brunswick (13-0) with four goals. Sophomores Leila Mills and Eliza Halmo each added a hat trick. Mills, Weeks and junior Cecilia Kjellman (two goals) combined for 11 assists.

“We were definitely looking ahead,” Kjellman admitted bluntly. “We said, ‘We’re going to be playing Oxford Hills.’ Our game plan was to keep possession of the ball, to not drop the ball and not be sloppy and to shut ’em down.”

No. 4 Lewiston (9-5) connected only once in the first half, when the Devils won a draw and worked the ball to Michelle Rancourt for a goal with 3:56 remaining.

The Devils gave the Dragons a few headaches in that well-worn circle at midfield, using their strength on faceoffs to make a brief run. Lysa Laverdiere, Shelby Turcotte and Amie Daniels scored in rapid succession to make it 9-4 six minutes into the second half.

Brunswick adjusted by moving Mills to center. It paid off with eight unanswered goals.

“They have a couple of kids who just come up with the ball and maintain their poise under pressure,” Brunswick coach Beth Caputi said of Lewiston. “Our defensive strategy typically is to create pressure and force a bad pass. We were able to do that with some of the girls, but Daniels and Turcotte, they hang onto the ball.”

Junior Stephanie Belanger drew the unenviable task of standing in goal against the Dragons’ barrage. She stopped 11 of 37 shots.

Turcotte, another junior, notched her second goal of the day with 7:03 remaining.

Laverdiere, Daniels, Kristen D’Eramo, Jenni Golletti, Jordann Bessey, Devon Daigle and Andrea Dibello graduated last weekend for the Blue Devils.

“We had a few runs and gave them what we had. I truly believe if I had my seniors back again next year, they’d be that much better,” said Grant. “Some of the plays we ran out there today, we hadn’t done (in the past). The program’s really coming together.”