Gorham 6

Massabesic 0

On the strength of four first-half goals, the Gorham boys’ soccer team rolled to a 6-0 victory over Massabesic in Waterboro on Friday. Joel Mundy led the way for the Rams with his team-best 11th and 12th goals of the season while Brandon Patten also recorded a pair of goals.

The Rams opened the game strong, controlling the ball in the attacking zone from the opening whistle. At 6:17 of the first half, Patten took a pass from Mundy and fired it toward the net. The ball caromed off Massabesic goal Nate Desfosses and into the net for a 1-0 Gorham lead.

Almost exactly two minutes later, Gorham captain Isaac Pease scored to double the Gorham lead when he moved around a defender to get a clean look at the net.

“I was pleased with our first half effort, jumping out to a 4-0 lead,” said Gorham coach Tim King. “I was also pleased to record the team’s first shutout of the season.”

Not long after the Pease goal, Mundy got loose on a breakaway. His shot found the twine and the Rams had a commanding 3-0 lead. Mundy scored his second goal of the game later in the opening half when his shot got past the dive of Desfosses with 22:22 to go in the half.

The Mustangs then held Gorham scoreless for the rest of the half.

“After starting the game flat, we played a much stronger second half,” said Massabesic coach Sean Allaire. “Gorham is a tough team to compete with. Overall, I was happy with the play.”

In the second half, Gorham scored twice more on goals by Patten and Connor Bell. The goals came about 34 minutes apart as the Mustangs played a better second half.

The loss drops the Mustangs to 0-6-1 on the season. Allaire says his team is improving and getting hungry for that first win. They were scheduled to face Sanford on Tuesday.

“After getting a tie with South Portland last week, the team is looking for their first win,” he said. “They are playing better together and improving every week.”

Gorham improves to 6-1 with the win but King says his squad still has room for improvement.

“Many things still need to be worked on,” he said, “including playing with intensity for a full 80 minutes.”

The Rams were scheduled to face Thornton Academy on Tuesday.