SAUGUS — Saugus’ boys lacrosse team may be young on paper, but you could say it plays well above its age. Tuesday night, it was no different as the Sachems (3-7) beat Malden, 15-2, on home soil.
When the ref blew the whistle for the opening face-off, it took the hosts just 25 seconds to find the back of the net.
And Brad Marchand of the Bruins isn’t the only Marchand scoring goals in the Bay State. Cam Marchand went by two Malden defenders en route to the opening goal.
He wasn’t done there, though, scoring twice more in the opening quarter to secure a 12-minute hat-trick.
“Cam Marchand is one of our most versatile players on the team,” said Saugus co-coach Christian Billingsley. “He can go O to D and run all game long. He just doesn’t stop and he’s an absolute workhorse.”
Marchand is one of the younger players on the team, currently 14 years old and in eighth grade.
“Cam Marchand with six goals, four assists, and 10 points on the day – not bad for a 14-year-old, huh?” said Saugus co-coach Dom Paolo.
The Sachems led, 6-1, after the first quarter and didn’t let off the gas in the second, scoring four more times to take a 10-2 lead by halftime.
A reason for Saugus’ lead? Ground balls. The Sachems were quick to react to every loose ball, something both home coaches were proud of.
“We harp on it every game. Ground balls. Ground balls. More possession leads to more goals,” Paolo said.
“Ground balls win lacrosse games,” Billingsley added.
After a slow start to the season, Saugus is starting to put its pieces together and look like a solid unit on the turf. Paolo and Billingsley credited the players for their hard work the past few weeks.
“We’re starting to get going this year. It took a little bit to get the wheels rolling since we’re such a young team,” Paolo said. “We’re getting it going now that we’re in tune with the season.”
“It’s a complete change from where we were at the beginning of the season. The stick skills have improved and most of the guys are gelling together and working together as a team,” Billingsley said. “Getting a young team to gel early leads to more successful seasons down the road.”
The second-half Sachems continued to stifle any Malden attack. Goals from Cameron Preston, Dominic Chianca, Marchand, James Caruso, and Jayden Vaquerano were too much to handle.
With a young team supporting (far) more eighth graders than most, Paolo spoke about maturity seemingly far beyond their years.
“Big maturity growth in the locker room,” he said. “With eighth graders, you have to be mature and they all took a step up.”
Billingsley praised his five seniors for stepping up, too.
“They’ve stepped up and taken on the role of being team leaders,” he said. “They’ve been great.”
Saugus is back in action Friday when it travels to Somerville with opening face-off scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
