Portsmouth boys lacrosse grinds its way to win over Timberlane (video)

PLAISTOW - When the season started, Chad Vischer wasn't sure what kind of squad the Portsmouth High School boys lacrosse team would be.

Turns out, the Clippers are a group that isn't afraid to do all the little gritty things that help a team win.

Portsmouth did all those things on both ends of the field, and got big contributions from junior Dom Maldari and freshman Nick Smith, to remained unbeaten on the year with a 9-3 win over Timberlane on Monday morning.

Maldari finished with five goals for the Clippers (5-0) while Smith had a goal and an assist while also going 15 for 16 on faceoffs. Mix in a defensive effort that stretched the length of the field, and Portsmouth did what it's done to teams early in the season - grind out a win.

"We grind a lot more than I thought we were going to grind," Vischer said. "Ultimately, to come in during spring break and play a 10 o’clock in the morning game, and be able to grind it out, is good."

Houston Heidenger also had a goal and an assist and helped lead Portsmouth's ride, while Michael O'Neil and Mike Durkin also had a goal apiece and Nate Amend added an assist.

"I’m an intense guy and I try to tell them to ride hard, but that comes from them," Vischer said. "Houston is a hundred pounds soaking wet and he rides like an animal. It’s fun to see him working hard. The rest of the attack has bought in. The ride starts with the attack."

Portsmouth held a big advantage in shots, outshooting Timberlane 26-9, and often times holding the Owls (2-3) without an attempt on their possessions. With the disparity on faceoffs, Timberlane was finding itself falling back on defense despite forcing 22 turnovers.

"We did a pretty good job preventing some runs," Timberlane coach Ken Blaszka said. "They do a very good job of possessing the ball, and we stopped them a lot, and then they’d get a second or third shot at it. That’s the tough part.

"At the very beginning we did a better job, we had a nice couple of possessions. We were methodical and moving. Then the momentum shifted and we tried to do too much. We just need to try to get the next play."

Cam Noyes, Ethan Gerry and Eric George each had a goal for Timberlane while Brady Marston made 10 saves.

Play early on was evenly matched, as each team battled a gusty wind that was whipping from one end of the field to the other. Each team had a manup opportunity after the other was offsides, but couldn't take advantage.

Portsmouth finally broke the scoreless tie on Durkin's goal with 4:33 remaining in the first quarter. The Clippers got the faceoff, but turned the ball over, and Timberlane capitalized, tying it on a shot by Noyes with 2:20 left in the frame.

But that would be the Owls only score of the first half, and Maldari broke the tie with 50.1 seconds left in the first and then made it 3-1 just 1:38 into the second. Heidenger made it 4-1 with 9:17 left in the first half and O'Neil scooped up a groundball in front of the Timberlane cage and beat Marston less than a minute later.

The Clippers took that 5-1 lead into halftime and stretched it to 7-1 before the Owls got two back late in the third quarter to make it a four-goal game. Goals by Maldari and Smith just 1:30 apart in the fourth quarter put the game away for Portsmouth.

"We do the ugly things pretty well," Vischer said. "We ride pretty well. We don’t have some of the scorers that we’ve had the last couple of years. We’ve had to grind out wins."