Crusaders find spark on offense Meyers’ two goals key victory over Hermon

BANGOR – After scoring just twice in its first three games this season, the John Bapst boys soccer team was due for a deluge of goals.

So leave it for a rainy afternoon to serve as the backdrop for the Crusaders’ offensive coming-out party, as the reigning Eastern Maine Class B champions scored five first-half goals en route to a 5-1 victory over Hermon on Tuesday.

“We really stepped it up and played with a lot of team chemistry,” said midfielder Jeff Sanford, “and that’s what brought us through today.”

The win was the second straight for the Crusaders since opening the season with back-to-back losses to Presque Isle and Central of Corinth.

“We had a rough start, but I think we’re pulling it together,” said striker Jordan Meyers. “The team chemistry today was great. We pulled out some great goals, and I hope we continue it for the rest of the season.”

Meyers led John Bapst offensively against 1-2 Hermon with two goals, while Alex Gales, Ryan Lad and Tyler Smith also scored in the first half, when the Crusaders outshot the Hawks 13-8.

Hermon’s Lance Hollobaugh scored the only goal of the second half on an assist from Kevin Tarr. John Bapst finished with a 23-16 advantage in shots, with goalie Ethan Sale making nine saves for the Crusaders while Cory Johnson stopped 11 shots for Hermon.

John Bapst graduated some key players from last year’s team that finished 14-3 after winning the Eastern Maine title and falling to Falmouth 2-0 in the state championship match.

But a fairly large contingent of skilled veterans is back.

“We graduated six, but we kept a good strong corps and a lot of the JV players are stepping up,” Sanford said. “We had some defensive positions to fill, but a lot of people have stepped up.”

While the defense has been solid, the Crusaders had struggled offensively in losses to Presque Isle (2-0) and Central (2-1) and in a 1-0 win over Old Town.

But Tuesday’s performance suggests John Bapst may be finding its offensive groove.

“In the beginning of the season, [scoring] was an issue,” said Sanford, “but I think now that we’re finally starting to realize how to hit the back of the net, we’re going to keep blasting them through for the rest of the season.”

The Crusaders certainly blasted away throughout the first half, beginning just five minutes into the match when Meyers took the ball from a Hermon defender near the 18-yard line and quickly arched a shot over Johnson’s head and just inside the far goalpost to give the Crusaders a quick lead.

Sale stopped a strong bid by Tarr moments later, and when Meyers then fed Gales for a goal with 23:49 left in the half to give John Bapst a 2-0 lead, the Crusaders were firmly in control.

Lad followed with his goal seven minutes later on a shot from just beyond the 18-yard line. Meyers made it 4-0 by grounding a long-range shot past Johnson with 7:11 left before some stellar work by Casey Hull set up Smith with John Bapst’s final goal of the match.

Hull worked one-on-one against a defender to the right of the Hermon goal before using a behind-the-back dribble to get open for a shot across the crease. His shot was headed wide, but Smith was open at the far post for the easy redirection.

“We’ve always had all the individual skill,” said Sanford, “but we just didn’t have that team chemistry. As we keep winning games we keep coming more and more together as a team, and that’s really going to help us get better as the season goes on.”