CAPE ELIZABETH — Whether going fast or playing patiently, Cape Elizabeth’s top-seeded boys’ lacrosse team showed Saturday it is hard to stop.
The defending Class A champion Capers (12-2) used their crisp transition offense to score four goals in the final 2:24 of the first quarter to grab a four-goal lead at the first break. With the lead and working against No. 4 Scarborough’s zone defense, they slowed the offense down, chewed clock, then scored.
The result? A tidy 12-7 win in Saturday’s Class A South semifinal to set up a meeting with No. 2 Thornton Academy in the regional final on Wednesday at Cape. The Trojans beat Cape, 11-10, in overtime in Saco during the regular season.
“I’m looking for revenge,” said Cape senior midfielder Tiernan Lathrop, who had four assists. “When I was a freshman we lost to TA on this field and we lost to TA this year on their field in a very dramatic finish. We’re going for it.”
Through eight-plus minutes, Scarborough (10-4) was the team controlling the majority of possession time but the game was deadlocked 1-1.
Then Sam Cochran (three goals) scored twice on fast-break chances off Scarborough turnovers and Keegan Lathrop, Tiernan’s sophomore brother, added the first of his five goals in the final minute to make it 5-1. The last goal came with two seconds on the clock as Keegan Lathrop dodged right, spun back to his left and whipped a left-handed shot past Scarborough keeper Benjamin Kerbel (eight saves).
Scarborough’s Olin Pedersen (three goals) scored his second goal of the game early in the second quarter but Cape responded with goals from Nic Boudreau, Colin Campbell (two goals, two assists) and Keegan Lathrop to build an 8-2 lead. Each of Cape’s second-quarter scores capped lengthy possessions. Lathrop’s ended a six-shot, 4:35 possession.
“That’s the perfect scenario. We wind off the clock, let our defense rest, honestly let our offense rest, just kind of chillin’, moving the ball at fast pace and then put one in the back of the net,” Tiernan Lathrop said.
Cape went ahead 9-3 early in the second half on Keegan Lathrop’s fourth goal but Scarborough was able to score three straight over the next 12 minutes to claw back to a 9-6 deficit. Finn Pedersen (three goals, one assist) scored twice on wicked left-handed shots from a side-arm angle and Jack Carlista also found the net.
“Getting down in a hole against Cape is never the plan,” said Scarborough Coach Zach Barrett. “But being in that position I was so proud of our guys for continuing to play. There were a couple of times where it felt like we had some momentum and a couple things didn’t break our way but we stuck with it the whole game.”
Keegan Lathrop, again set up by his brother, stopping Scarborough’s momentum with 8:14 to play, and Boudreau notched his second with 4:14 left to give Cape an 11-6 lead and essentially wrap up the contest.
Cape’s defense also played well. Nick Laughlin was an athletic pest at the top of the Scarborough attack, Nate Patterson shut down Tae Delaware, one of the Red Storm’s top threats, and goalie Simon Algara made six saves.
“I thought our defense played really well,” said Cape Coach Ben Raymond.
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