RUMFORD – Mountain Valley boys’ lacrosse coach Jeff Gilbert liked what his team was trying to accomplish even though the Falcons’ efforts didn’t pay off.

The flashy Zoe Fisk scored two goals and added two assists as Gardiner relied on its experience en route to a 12-5 win against the Falcons at sunny Hosmer Field.

It was obvious from the onset that Gardiner has the speed and superior passing game that would create havoc in the offensive zone. The execution proved to be on target as the Tigers capitalized to take a 7-1 lead at halftime.

Mountain Valley (1-6) found itself backing up on defense and was slow to react to the Tigers’ ability to move toward the net. This left goalie Kyle Rajaniemi facing unmarked attackers, which led to goals by Jason Ladeux, Mike Lund and Fisk in the first five minutes of the game. The Falcons entered the game with fire and brimstone after beating Camden Hills, 14-5.

“I was impressed that we didn’t give up,” Gilbert said. “We fell behind early, but the kids kept digging. They are seeing the field better and are thinking beyond the initial pass anticipating where the second pass will go.”

The Falcons finally broke through when Kenny Armstrong scored early in the second quarter. Myles Mercier has carried the ball in to the offensive zone and flicked a pass to Armstrong, who beat Tiger goalie Caleb Roberts (five saves).

Gardiner (6-1) didn’t flinch and scored the final four goals of the second quarter Joey Grover, Ferland, Dalton Eldridge and Ladeux each scored two goals in the game.

“I thought we played with a man up on them and executed well,” Gardiner coach Casey Johnson said. “We had adjusted by moving Fisk up from the midfield to attacker. He is a dynamic player who draws people to him when he drives.”

Mountain Valley started strong and Mercier scored on a low shot 37 seconds in the third quarter. Unfortunately, any momentum was deflated as Gardiner scored the net four goals.

The Falcons finished strong by scoring the final three goals of the game. Junior Cole Clark tallied twice in less than one minute. The first resulted from an Rajamemi outlet pass and the second came after Cark squared up and stepped in. Defenseman Chris Day carried the play 55 yards and passed to Armstrong who one timed a shot in to the net.

“We try to look for the open man,” Clark said. “We played a strong checking game, but the team has struggled because after being scored on early, we tended to get down and hang our heads, but that wasn’t the case today.”