BRUNSWICK — Despite playing an opponent with just one win on the season and owning a 2-0 lead just 27 seconds into the game, a win didn’t come easily for Wells Monday. But the Warriors came to life in the third quarter and dominated the fourth to beat Freeport 15-10 in a Western Maine Conference boys lacrosse game at Bowdoin College.

Drew Shelley scored just 13 seconds into the game, and Jake Godin scored 14 seconds later on a pass from Alex McCormack-Kuhman off the ensuing faceoff to stake the Warriors (7-3) to an early lead. But the lead only gave Wells a false sense of security, and a proud Freeport team took advantage.

The Falcons (1-8) scored six of the final eight goals of the first half to lead 6-4. Clayton Morrison tied the game at 2-2 with less than five minutes to go in the first quarter, and then scored three more goals in the half.

“Whenever we play a team with a little bit worse of a record, we always come out a little bit shy. We don’t really feel like we need to play as hard,” said Shelley. “But that’s something we’re going to work on in practice, and I really hope we get through it.”

Wells went on the man-up advantage with 40 seconds to go in the first half, but couldn’t take advantage and gain any momentum going into halftime.

“We really just wanted to calm down and kind of come out to a new game,” Shelley said of what the team talked about at halftime.

The Warriors regrouped during the intermission, however, and took control of the game in the third quarter. Brandon Morton scored a man-up goal just over two minutes into the half, and McCormack-Kuhman and Godin scored just 30 seconds apart at the midway point of the third quarter to give the Warriors the lead.

“They tend to rally,” Wells head coach Kevin Colley said of his team. “They straightened themselves up and began passing the ball and moving a little more.”

Freeport tied the game back up in the final minute, but Shelley gave Wells the lead with eight seconds to go, as he took a pass from Morton and flipped it over the head of Freeport goalie Zac Wogan. The Falcons won the ensuing faceoff, however, and Morrison beat the clock ”“ and Wells goalie Tyler Whitten ”“ with a long shot to tie the game 8-8 heading into the fourth quarter.

Wells stopped playing around and began playing its game in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors pulled away like it appeared they would in the opening minute of the game. Morton and Spencer Sibley combined to score seven goals for Wells in the final period, and the Warriors took a four-goal lead before Freeport responded. The Falcons scored twice in a minute late in the quarter to pull within two goals, but Sibley scored his final two goals and assisted on a final goal from Morton in the final two minutes for the winning margin.

“That’s what they were supposed to do. We were supposed to do that in the first quarter,” Colley said.

Sibley scored four of his five goals, and Morton three of his four in the fourth quarter as the Warriors righted the ship. Shelley finished with three goals and an assist on a behind-the-back pass to Morton.

Wells finishes the season with games against Fryeburg and Lake Region ”“ teams with a combined three wins this season. With their penchant to hit the snooze button against weaker opponents, Colley said he is worried about how his team will play heading into a probable playoff game.

“My biggest concern is that the last three games we play are with lower-level teams. So we’re going to be doing this for the next couple games, I’m afraid, and then we’re going to have to step it up, and my guess is that will be very challenging,” said Colley. “We certainly have the ability. It’s just a mental situation at this point.”

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 323. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.