Momentum has yet to join the Salem girls lacrosse roster. Aside from a 10-6 victory over Nashua North, the Blue Devil offense has been stymied in the early going, including a 19-2 loss to Central on Monday, April 27.

The contest with the Little Green was never in doubt, as Kaleigh Gibbons notched three goals of her seven goals in the early going while Central opened a 9-1 halftime lead.

“We’re in a little bit of a slump right now. They have to get a little bit of confidence,” said Salem head coach Faith Wahlen. “They’re young, and they lost some people last year that had stepped up.”

Following Gibbons’ three unanswered tallies, Sarah Viehl found an open Aja Metcalf in front of the net to trim the deficit to 3-1, but Salem wouldn’t muster another score until just prior to the final buzzer.

Viehl assisted again, passing to Avery Neusch.

Following the game Wahlen said she believed the next day’s meeting with Memorial would untrack her team, and she was right. The Blue Devils edged the Crusaders, 10-9.

Sloppy passing and poor effort on ground balls have been among the causes of a rocky start for Salem, as well as finding a fluid offense.

“We’ve done a bunch of shooting and drills,” said Wahlen. “They practice against me, so I know they can do it. Then they get into a game, get the ball on their stick, and they just freeze.”

Although her team cruised to victory, Central’s head coach, Whitney Nelson, saw promise in a young Blue Devil opponent.

“I think they do a great job of reading the pass and going for the interception,” said Nelson. “They’re very good at anticipating, and that was something I definitely noticed, especially in the second half.”

Salem was shorthanded due to vacation week, but Wahlen said a busy week of play should help her players gain some game experience and find a groove.

“Once they see that they can do it and realize they can score a goal a certain way, it usually flows,” said Wahlen. “Getting the momentum started early enough seems to be our issue right now.”