BATH

Over the past decade, the local boys high school lacrosse scene has been dominated by Brunswick. So far this season, the undefeated Dragons are again a juggernaut.

However, Matt Haskell’s Mt. Ararat squad is looking to add its name to the list of dangerous Midcoast teams as his Eagles won their fifth game in the past six contests with a solid 12-7 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference win over Morse at McMann Field on Saturday.

Haskell was quickly able to put his finger on the moment his Eagles began to believe they could compete.

“The Messalonskee game, we played them hard and the kids responded very well and gave them a great match,” said Haskell of his team’s 14-11 setback to Messalonskee April 27 in Topsham. “Since then, there has been a lot of confidence. We have a ton of senior leadership and energy. It is fun to watch.”

Haskell watched as Eagles midfielder Connor Brown took over the game. The junior powered his way to nine goals and dished out an assist.

“That is the most that I have ever done in an actual game,” said Brown, who scored four his goals by charging out from behind the cage and slipping a shot past Morse goaltender Sebastian Tibbetts (15 saves). “My attack helped me a lot. What they did allowed me to rotate out from behind the net. The play was set up that way and we all executed.”

“Connor had the matchup working from ‘X,’ as the slide to him was a bit slow and he was able to hit the shots,” said Haskell. “You take a lot of wear and tear coming out from the ‘X.’ Plus you don’t have someone else back there to back up the shot. But when you hit the goal, you don’t need someone back there.”

Brown begins

It took nearly four minutes for Brown to get on the board in the opening quarter, cutting to the front of the Morse goal for a 1-0 Mt. Ararat lead.

Just 25 seconds later, Sawyer Watson finished a pass from Steven Schuman to double the Eagles’ lead on a man-advantage chance, and Brown made it 3-0 moments later.

Morse found the cage as Declan Hall took a pass from Ethan Brown and ripped a shot past Mt. Ararat goaltender Parker Lacey (15 saves).

The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with Connor Brown scoring two straight goals for a 5-1 Mt. Ararat edge. Cameron Marco and Wyatt Hudson sandwiched a goal each around another score from the Eagles junior to send the teams to the half with Mt. Ararat holding a 6-3 lead.

It was Connor Brown that got things rolling for Mt. Ararat to open the second half. He upped his goal total to eight with three straight goals, followed by a Schuman tally from Watson and an Orion Sargent score ( assisted by Connor Brown) for an 11-3 Eagles advantage.

Morse didn’t quit, as the Shipbuilders scored four of the game’s final five goals to make the score closer.

“We always play slow in the first half, then in the second half we shine,” said Hall, who finished with two goals and two assists. “ We have been inconsistent, missing goalies, defenders for a couple days. Just never have had a whole line. We need to show that we can play well, get rid of the errant passes and the missed ground balls. We can win the rest of the games if we do that.”

Ethan Brown had a solid game for Morse, scoring a fourth- quarter goal and dishing out three helpers. Braelen Olsen also had an assist down the stretch for the Shipbuilders.

For Mt. Ararat, Nick Canter picked up an assist along with Jason Magno. The Eagles finished with a 35-33 shot advantage, while Morse held an 11-9 edge in faceoffs.

For Connor Brown, it is about finishing strong and getting a solid playoff spot, with Mt. Ararat slated to visit Messalonskee on Tuesday before finishing the regular season at Lewiston (May 30).

“Early in the season, we had a tough game against Brunswick (16-2 loss), but we stuck with it and tried really hard,” said Brown. “I think we can keep pushing forward and finish on a strong note.”

For 2-6 Morse, the Shipbuilders will look to also finish strong, with visits to Lawrence (Tuesday, 4 p.m.) and Freeport ( June 1), along with home dates with Lincoln Academy ( Thursday) and Oak Hill (May 30) left on the docket.

Mt. Ararat 12,
Morse 7

Saturday, at McMann Field Complex
Mt.Ararat — 3 3 5 1 — 12
Morse —  1 2 1 3 — 7
Goals — (MtA) Connor Brown 9,
Sawyer Watson, Steven Schuman,
Orion Sargent; (Mo) Declan Hall 2,
Ethan Brown, Cameron Marco, Wyatt
Hudson, Jacob Brochu. Sheamus
Mann.
Assists — (MtA) Nick Canter, Jason
Magno, Steven Schuman, Sawyer
Watson, Connor Brown; (Mo) Ethan
Brown 3, Declan Hall 2, Braelen
Olson.
Shots — Mt. Ararat 35, Morse 33.
Saves — (MtA) Parker Lacey 15;
(Mo) Sebastian Tibbetts 15.
Man-up opportunities — Mt. Ararat
2-of-5; Morse 0-for-6.
Faceoffs — Morse 11; Mt. Ararat 9.
Records — Mt. Ararat 6-4; Morse 2-
6.
Up next for the Eagles — Tuesday
vs. Messalonskee at Thomas College
in Waterville, 4 p.m.
Up next for the Shipbuilders —
Tuesday at Lawrence, 4 p.m.