It’s not a matter of if the Maranacook/Winthrop girls lacrosse team is going to score during games this spring. It’s a matter of who is going to score goals, and how many.
Offense was on display once again for the Black Bears on Friday afternoon, as they cruised to a 19-6 victory over Erskine Academy in a Class C matchup at the Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams.
Maranacook/Winthrop (7-1), which has scored 47 goals during its last three games, is now second in the Class C standings, trailing only Lincoln Academy.
“We’re very heavy on assists, we’re always just looking for the open player before we look for the goal,” said Maranacook/Winthrop senior Ashley DeSchamp, who led the team with five goals in the win over the Eagles. “I think that’s what has led us to our 47 goals (during the win streak).”
“We like to try to get (the ball) to people who haven’t shot yet, or to people who need the opportunity (to shoot),” added junior Emerson Davis, who had a goal.
Mya St. Pierre and Celia Bergdahl each had three goals for Maranacook/Winthrop, while Alice Ferran, Cooper Davis and Amy Roberts each added two goals. Siena Beauchesne also had a goal for the Black Bears.
Abbie McDonough and Maddy McNeff each had two goals for Erskine (5-3), while Reese Sullivan and Belle Pelotte each added a goal.
Erskine had an early 2-1 lead late in the first quarter, but the Black Bears would eventually find their groove, scoring eight unanswered goals.
The Black Bears, who led 9-3 at halftime, lengthened their lead by scoring five unanswered goals in the third quarter, entering the fourth with a 14-4 lead.
Our coach (Maranacook/Winthrop head coach Zach Stewart) told us to pick it up, that it’s ground balls that win the games,” Emerson Davis said.
The Black Bears were also inspired by the presence of Stewart, who attended the game despite having surgery for a torn Achilles tendon on Friday morning. In a wheelchair with his repaired leg raised, Stewart was still able to bark orders to players while assistant coach Amber Davis patrolled the sidelines, acting as de facto head coach for the game.
“We turned it up for him,” Emerson Davis said.
“He just wants to be here, he just wants to coach us,” DeSchamp added. “He wants to be a part of our wins and clearly wants to be here. I mean, he has a piece of wood holding his foot up.”
Despite the lopsided lead, the Eagles never quit, with some of their best work coming in the fourth quarter, off early goals by McDonough and McNeff. Erskine entered the day No. 4 in the Class C standings, having its own recent three-game win streak from April 24-30.
“When we get the ball, we love to run it up the field, but playing Maranacook, that was tough for us to run up the field,” Erskine head coach Abby Haskell said. “That’s our biggest thing right now, just running up the field and making smart passes. We just couldn’t catch them today.”
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