Boothbay overcame a slow start, but finished strong in an 18-6 schoolgirl lacrosse victory over Class A Sanford at Sherman Field May 12. Sanford held a 3-2 lead five minutes and 46 seconds into the contest. Left attack wing Valentina Drown looked unstoppable in scoring the Spartans’ three goals, but a change in defense slowed down her and the entire Spartan squad.

Following a timeout, Boothbay scored six consecutive goals to lead Sanford 8-3 at halftime.

“I didn’t feel we were playing up to our potential especially after the same player burned us three times in a row,” said Boothbay coach Donna Jordan. “I asked them to refocus, step up their game and play at a higher intensity level.”

The strategy worked, and Drown only managed one more goal. The Seahawks picked up their offensive and defensive play, outscoring Sanford 16-3 after Jordan’s timeout.

For Boothbay, Sydney Meader was the leading goal scorer with eight. Other Seahawk scorers were Chloe Arsenault with four, Hannah Cola who scored three times and had six assists, Jackie McLoon with two goals and two assists, and Jo Shaw with one goal and one assist.

The Seahawk defense foiled the Spartans by changing to a different alignment. “We adjusted to what Sanford was doing and did a better job at communicating with one another. Also, after the timeout, we came out and played the whole game like the score was 0-0 which helped keep up up our aggression and motivation to win this game,” said defender Lilley Harris.

On offense, a new Seahawk approach to scoring is also paying dividends for the team. “We’re learning a new offense which has more cutting and uses our speed which is the strong suit of our team,” Arsenault said.

Boothbay improves to 4-1. Sanford is 0-6. This week, Boothbay has two games against Camden Hills and one against Oceanside. On May 16, the Seahawks travel to Rockport for a 4 p.m. game against Camden Hills. On May 18 at Sherman Field, Boothbay hosts Camden Hills at 11 a.m. and Oceanside at 4 p.m.