BRUNSWICK – For the second straight season, the Brunswick High School boys soccer team went winless over its first five games. 

On Tuesday, just like last year when the Dragons began 0-5, Brunswick faced Morse in the sixth game, looking for win No. 1. 

The Dragons found it, scoring three first-half goals in a 4-1 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference victory. 

Morse, which was coming of its first win on Friday against Oceanside, fell to 1-4-2, while Brunswick improved to 1-3-2. 

“The boys needed it,” said Brunswick coach Mark Roma, whose Dragons will look for a winning streak when they head north to face Hampden Academy on Thursday (6 p.m.). “They believed it, but it was nice to get the result. We have a lot of first-time varsity players out there, so today was a good win for us.”

The opening half failed to go to plan for Morse, which was outshot 9-2 and behind by three after Brunswick goals by Ben Guindon, Everett Horch and Lane Foushee, the final two tallies coming just 25 seconds apart. 

“We came out flat, and I think we struggle on grass and in the first half a lot. We often play better in the second half,” said Morse coach Chuck Reece, whose Shipbuilders host Medomak Valley on Thursday at 5 p.m. 

Brunswick gained confidence in its last game — a 1-1 tie with talented Bangor last Thursday. The Dragons have played a tough early schedule, facing Lewiston, Edward Little and Mt. Ararat. 

“We had a really tough opening schedule both this year and last year, so it was huge to get that tie at Bangor, a game we felt we deserved to win after dominating in shots and chances,” said Horch, who finished with two goals and one assist on Tuesday. 

Early lead

Brunswick pressured the Morse goal throughout the first half. An early goal off a loose ball by Guindon 2:53 into

the contest gave the Dragons the 1-0 lead. 

The Shipbuilders, despite being outplayed throughout most of the opening 40 minutes, stayed within a goal thanks to goaltender Miles Bobbe, who robbed several Dragons on his way to six first-half saves. 

As the time ticked away, the Dragons kicked it into another gear, with Horch powering a shot past Bobbe from 15-yards out, followed shortly by Foushee’s tally for a 3-0 halftime lead. 

“It would have been huge to be down by just one at the half,” said Reece, who still felt his Shipbuilders had a chance with 40 minutes of soccer remaining. “We had games in the preseason where we were down three goals and we turned it around. It wasn’t something they hadn’t faced before.” 

“It was too close in the beginning, and we knew that the lead needed to be more,” Horch said. 

Morse found its legs in the second half, forcing Brunswick keeper Jack McDiarmid to made four of his six saves. McDiarmid made a solid stop on Mitchell Whorff on a corner kick, and dove to stop a header by Christian Keenan. 

The visitors scored their goal with 17:39 remaining. Whorff served a corner kick to the near post, with Keenan tipping a shot past a screened McDiarmid for a 3-1 contest.  

But Brunswick wasn’t going to be denied, with Horch taking a throw-in from Emmet Taub and rocketing a shot past the dive of Bobbe with 3:25 remaining to finish off the Shipbuilders. 

“Today we clicked,” said Roma. “We want to get better as a team and get results.”

“We can start a winning streak now. We’re not going to lose for a long time,” added Horch. 

For Reece, he feels his Shipbuilders will rebound quickly. 

“They have a short memory. They will be fine. They bounce back fast and are gritty,” the Morse coach said. 

Bobbe finished with 15 saves, with Brunswick owning a 19-7 shot advantage and a 7-4 edge in corner kicks. 

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