Four different Blazes – Ahmed Hadi, Jean-Marc Lohomboli, Nshuti Gakuru and Grayson Post – dumped goals past Eagles keeper Ryan Plummer in the first half of the teams’ matchup on Saturday morning. Those lopsided first 40 minutes ensured a Westbrook win, 5-1, despite Windham’s successful effort to balance play in the later going.

“[We] defended in every phase of the game,” said Blazes head coach Greg Cavanaugh, “and were able to get forward and stay poised and finish some goals that, in years past or earlier in the season, in the preseason, [we] weren’t finishing.”

“The second half we talked that we needed to play more as a team,” Eagles head coach Wally LeBlanc said. “[We’re] doing a lot of individual work, and [Westbrook] plays extremely well together, and you can’t play one against groups of two or three.”

The earliest action bounced back and forth up the field. Round about the 33-minute mark, though, Westbrook put together their first strong opportunity. Windham’s defense proved particularly capable just then, helping Plummer out of a sticky situation, but the Blazes were clearly picking up steam.

Four minutes later, they converted for the first time. Hadi cruised up the right side of the Eagles’ zone, danced around defender Jeff Pollard and beat Plummer across-left.

Five and a half minutes after that, Westbrook notched their second of the day: Lohomboli, lingering inside the top-right corner of Plummer’s 18, picked up a feed from further out, turned and fired. The shot sailed over Plummer’s head on the nearside.

A determined Plummer turned some pretty saves in the ensuing minutes, but the Blazes’ heat nevertheless burned him again at 6:23, when Nshuti Gakuru belted a Hadi rebound across-left, and at 2:00, when Grayson Post added a tap-in during a scramble at Plummer’s feet.

“They were able to play with some pace,” Cavanaugh said of his boys’ impressive first half. “So the first touch was always a positive one.”

Cavanaugh reiterated the importance of defense, defense, defense: “It all starts with your defending. We have 11 guys defending, starting with our strikers; the more heat those guys put on [opponents], the more chances we have to transition.”

Westbrook’s fifth and final goal – by Varney Kai, 12 minutes into the second half – bounced in off a Windham defender, Alen Hadziabulic. Kai, as LeBlanc could be heard explaining to a distressed Hadziabulic, had been left unmarked on the other side of the field, so the failure was not Hadziabulic’s.

LeBlanc’s lesson to Hadziabulic was in keeping with his team-first mentality. Likewise, he observed that better team play helped Windham balance out the engagement as the second half went on.

“When we started to get a little more organized and have groups of two or three,” LeBlanc said, “then [Westbrook] doesn’t possess as much, we get ball, we’ve got space.

“We needed to possess a lot more than we did today against this quality team. We started to do it in the second half, and it helped us get in the flow of the game.”

Kai’s goal was the Blazes’ only tally in the latter 40 minutes, after all, and the Eagles earned one of their own in response. Gene Gumaer scored on a direct kick at 21:41, launching a ball just low enough for Westbrook netminder DJ Henrikson to graze with his fingertips, but just high enough to elude Henrikson’s grasp. 5-1 the final.

“They let down a little bit,” Cavanaugh said of his squad in the second half. “There were opportunities in transition that they didn’t defend very well. We had some of our best guys out there, our leaders, who didn’t keep that same defensive edge, and that’s going to be a problem.

“We’re going to find out: Is it a fitness problem? Are we going to have these drop-offs in the second half? Or is it something solvable, where it’s just mindset, and they have to keep that hunger and that edge. That was a 1-1 half, and that completely changes the game.”

Cavanaugh did acknowledge a number of players who gave their all throughout the bout. “Shammah Gahomera. He played outside back for us, outside mid for us – you can put him anywhere, and he’s consistent, and he keeps wanting to get better.”

“And Brandt Herbert was in there the whole game,” Cavanaugh said. “Showed some nice signs for us. A lot of the young guys showed that hunger throughout. I’d love to see our seniors kind of step up and have that hunger and lead by example.”

LeBlanc similarly praised a handful of his athletes. “I was really appreciative of Austin Farwell’s work in the midfield; we need all three of our midfielders to work. Gene Gumaer scored a nice goal for us.

“I think those two players were the beginning,” LeBlanc said. “Beyond that, it’s a collective. It’s not necessarily this group of five players; it’s the five players who are closest to the ball, working together.”

“We know we need to grow. We have to play together if we want to be successful. We didn’t make the playoffs last year, and I really would love for this team to be disappointed in that and fight hard to make the playoffs. We have to play better than we did today against a quality Westbrook side if we want to see the playoffs.”

The road victory kicked off Westbrook’s autumn with a bang. They followed it up on Tuesday with a come-from-behind tie at Thornton Academy to go to 1-0-1. The Blazes host Noble on Thursday night at 6 p.m., after Current Publishing’s print deadlines.

Windham welcomed Massabesic on Tuesday, trumping the Mustangs 2-0 to even their record out at 1-1. They travel to Portland on Friday for a 5 p.m. bout.

Windham’s Zach Callahan and Westbrook’s Nshuti Gakuru race to a ball in Saturday’s action.Westbrooker Jean-Marc Lohomboli and Windhamite Zach DeFosse collide in midair on the Eagles’ home turf Saturday morning.The Eagles’ Gene Gumaer comes away with the ball after a run-in with Westbrook’s Brandt Herbert, who crashes to the turf.Windham’s Jason Nielsen dashes away from Westbrook pursuer Nshuti Gato while looking for an open pass option.The Blazes’ Jonathan Lapika gets air over Windham’s Gene Gumaer, heading away an incoming ball.Windham’s Jeff Pollard boots a ball away from Westbrooker Mazin Ahmed.Westbrooker Grayson Post (left) cleats a ball past Windham goalie Ryan Plummer in the Blazes’ 5-1 win over the Eagles on Saturday.Westbrook’s Ahmed Hadi and Windham’s James Mannette tussle for control, in the process overshooting the ball.Westbrookers Mazin Ahmed (22) and Josh Minor (3) pincer the Eagles’ Jeff Pollard.