It wasn’t hard for Scarborough to dispatch visiting Massabesic on Thursday night, Oct. 15: Once Jacob McGarvey put them on top midway through the first half, they stayed on top and eventually claimed a 4-0 W. But it wasn’t exactly easy, either, as head coach Mark Diaz attested.

“Nothing surprises me in this league,” Diaz said. “Even the teams that maybe aren’t in the higher part of the standings can give anyone a game. [Massabesic] plays well defensively, they block a lot of shots, they were organized and they made it tough on us.”

McGarvey broke a nil-nil deadlock and gave Scarborough the advantage with 22:45 remaining in the first half. Jacob Kacer assisted on the goal, sliding the ball to dead-center, 15 yards out from the Mustangs’ net; McGarvey pounced on it there, putting a light lob past Massabesic keeper Josh Castonguay.

The action slid back into a stalemate from there. Scarborough controlled for the most part, but the Mustangs played a thick defense, and Castonguay made some excellent saves. The shots the Storm did generate either met resistance or flew high or wide.

Diaz observed that possibly his boys were a little too relaxed, coming into a matchup with a team far down the Heal Points ladder. “Sometimes that can be lack of focus,” he said, regarding his boys’ accuracy.

He also observed, however, that perhaps Massabesic’s fashion of play simply worked well for much of the night. “Sometimes it can be playing a different-style team, that keeps nine guys behind the ball. It’s different; you’re under a lot more pressure when you go to shoot.”

“Their keeper came up with some big saves,” Diaz said of Castonguay. “They defend well.”

Scarborough struck thrice in a short span midway through the second half, though, finding their groove for a stretch and sealing the deal. Jarred Greenleaf notched the 2-0 point from 10 yards out-left of Castonguay, belting a bouncing ball out of midair to curl inward and beat the keeper.

Despite having sent several kicks wild of the Mustangs’ net, the Storm’s goals came almost exclusively on excellent attempts. “The shots we scored on were quality shots,” Diaz said.

Kacer made it 3-0 from 15 yards out when he quick-shot a ball that had squirted middle, and 45 seconds later, Mike Barrett capped the evening, dashing center to turn another loose ball into a pretty shot, over a leaping Castonguay and in.

Scarborough’s end of the field didn’t see a lot of action during the game. Diaz remarked the team wasn’t under much defensive pressure. “No, no. And they’re obviously sacrificing some of their offense by focusing on defense.”

Of course, what could the Mustangs do besides hunker down on defense and hope to weather the Storm? “The times I’ve watched them play against some better teams, they’ve done that,” said Diaz. “So it didn’t surprise us. Alan [Curtis, Massabesic head coach] does a good job with that; he keeps organized.”

No. 1 Scarborough jumps to 11-0-2 on the season. The Red Storm closed their regular season at Windham on Tuesday the 20th, after the Current’s print deadline.

Massabesic slides to 2-11. The Mustangs are currently 15th in A South; unfortunately, even a win at Bonny Eagle on Tuesday is unlikely to usher them into the playoffs.

Scarborough’s Matt Caron escapes a Massabesic defender and makes for the Mustangs’ zone.Red Stormer Garrett King clashes with a Mustang near midfield during Thursday night’s bout.Brandon Wasser rips a shot between Massabesic defenders in the Storm’s 4-0 win over the Mustangs Thursday night.Scarborough’s Nick Lorello goes up for a header against a Massabesic defender on Thursday evening.Scarborough’s Jack Clavette keeps a step ahead of Massabesic’s Collin Morris.Red Stormer Josh Morrissey and Mustang Logan Martin race for a ball on Thursday evening.The Red Storm’s Jarred Greenleaf gets a toe on the ball to maintain control near the sideline on Thursday night, boxing out a Mustang all the while.