Massabesic’s Cam Roy carries the ball up the field on Friday against visiting Biddeford. MAUREEN GRANDMAISON PHOTOGRAPHY
The Mustangs held a 5-2 lead late in the second quarter but Biddeford’s Colin Petit would score at the buzzer to cut the score to 5-3 at the halftime break. Liam Turner later scored just over a minute into the second half to push the Tigers to within one score.
The Mustangs would catch fire and go on an 8-1 run throughout the third quarter and into the fourth that put the game out of reach for the Tigers.
“It was just a lot of composure, I think we maintained our composure really well, they were firing on all cylinders,” said Massabesic coach Steve Gallo after the win. “(Biddeford) put one away early in the second half and we were saying to the kids to stay above it, stay above the noise and keep your heads and I think that was the difference.”
The two clubs battled in a tight contest in the opening half. Massabesic took and early 2-0 lead in the opening seven minutes but Biddeford would respond with two goals of their own to knot the score. The Mustangs then pieced together a 3-0 run to push the score to 5-2 midway through the second quarter.
Biddeford came to life in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 3-2. However, the Tigers could not close the gap as Massabesic secured the win.
Max Irons and Brandon Johnstone led the way for Massabesic with three goals each. Ryan St. Laurent, Jacob Travis and Cam Roy all scored twice while Garret Stubbs added another in the second quarter.
C.J. Thorne, Nick McSorley and Turner all had pairs of goals for Biddeford in the loss. Petit and Colby Plante had one each.
Friday’s opener was a physical match, with each team boasting big, strong rosters. Gallo was happy with the way his team responded to the chippy play.
“Last year everyone saw us crumble to (Biddeford’s physicality) and that was something we talked about all season. We’re mentally tougher this year with better chemistry and a closer team so let’s go out and show it. If there’s anything I’m proud of that’s it,” said Gallo.
Gallo was also excited to see six different Mustangs score.
“I was thrilled about that. We’ve generally been in the past coaching to get kids open but now we’re coaching to get spots on the field open. It’s nice to have six or seven kids that can score and spread the defense out. That worked well for us tonight, it was pretty solid,” said Gallo.
The Mustangs improve to 1-0 to kick off the season while Biddeford drops to 0-1. The Mustangs are happy to kick the season off on the right foot.
“It feels great to start 1-0 and it may be the first time in program history that we’ve beaten Biddeford. It feels good,” said Gallo.
— Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller can be reached at asponseller@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.
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