SOUTH BERWICK — Silas Hamblett and the rest of the Marshwood High’s boys’ lacrosse team were not fooled by Kennebunk’s 12th seed or its 6-7 record.
“We just expected them to be the best team we’ve ever played, so we played our best and it paid off,” said Hamblett, Marshwood’s sophomore goalie.
After No. 4 Marshwood’s convincing 10-5 win in a Class B quarterfinal, the Hawks will keep the same approach.
“After a game like that, I think it’s going to be hard to stop us,” Hamblett said. “So hopefully we can keep carrying that momentum we had today and keep doing it. As long as we keep looking at the other teams as the best we’ve ever played, we’ll be all right.”
Marshwood (10-3) will be off until the semifinals on Wednesday.
The Hawks consistently won the ground-ball battle and tenaciously attacked Kennebunk’s defenders, often creating extra chances after Rams goalie Jacek Kudas (12 saves) had made an initial save.
Sophomore attackmen Kevin Couglar (four goals) and Sam DeGrappo (three goals) each scored their first goal on a second-chance shot. DeGrappo’s goal put Marshwood ahead 3-2 with 6:35 left in the first half, and the Hawks led the rest of the way.
Couglar made it 6-2 midway through the third quarter when he weaved through three defenders, found open space and beat Kudas with a crisp shot.
“I see little gaps and then I figure out which foot their weight is on and then I can beat them that way,” Couglar said.
Hamblett made eight saves, and his defense of Trevor Callanan, Ethan Moreland and sophomore Ty Couglar (Kevin’s twin brother) limited Kennebunk to two even-strength goals and shut out Loyola of Maryland recruit Jacob Sullivan.
“We had film on these guys and we knew (Sullivan) was their star,” Marshwood Coach Ralph Ruocco. “We put our sophomore defenseman, Ty Couglar, on him and shut him down. We didn’t want him to touch the ball and any time he was near the ball, Ty was on him.”
Elized Soule scored three goals for Kennebunk, which cut the lead to 7-5 on an Andrew Luddy man-up tally with 9:46 remaining.
Marshwood responded with effort goals. Junior midfielder Andrew Goodwin made a leaping catch on a backside cut and was able to secure the ball and score, then DeGrappo scored in a man-down situation after Ty Couglar sprinted past a Kennebunk player to scoop a loose ball and start a fast break.
“The hustle, the heart these guys have. I told them, when I was at Dover (N.H.) we won it in 2005 (and) we didn’t have the best team, but we had the kids with the heart and that’s what these guys have. They have that same heart and drive,” Ruocco said.
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