BARNSTABLE — A captivating season for the Nauset boys lacrosse team that included a march to an unprecedented second consecutive Final Four appearance, came to an abrupt end on June 11 at W. Leo Shields Field in Barnstable as the second-seeded Warriors lost 14-3 to the third-seeded Falmouth Clippers. Without their senior captain and faceoff rock, Logan Poulin, the Warriors lost convincingly. The loss snapped Nauset’s 12-game winning streak as they ended their season with a record of 17-5.

The teams split the regular season series, with Falmouth taking the first game by five goals early in the year and Nauset winning the rematch in Falmouth, 8-7. Many in the large crowd expected a game that would be decided in the last few minutes. Instead, they witnessed a stunner that was arguably out of reach by halftime.

It was a night when Nauset could not seem to get untracked. An explosive offense that generated many astounding runs this season, including a 7-goals-in-4-minutes spurt in the quarterfinals against Nashoba, was held to 3 widely dispersed tallies by a swarming Falmouth defense.

The Warriors seemed jittery early, committing several uncharacteristic turnovers. The Clippers, on the other hand, started fast and never faltered. Their answer to Nauset’s freshman star, Jack Peno, was Jackson Smith, who, like Peno, is a freshman attackman who wears number 1 and possesses talent in abundance. Smith scored twice before Nauset gained possession of the ball in their offensive end. He finished with 3 goals to complement the 4 scores that his brother, junior midfielder and faceoff man Travis Smith, compiled. Jamison Murphy also had 4 goals for the Clippers.

Poulin was unavailable as he was in Wisconsin trying out for a junior hockey league team, taking the next step in another sport where he also excels. “We missed him for sure,” said Nauset Coach Jesse Peno. “But it’s not just one guy,” he added, noting that the team took steps prior to the game to account for Poulin’s absence.

It is questionable whether Poulin’s presence, as important as it would have been, would have changed the outcome, given Falmouth’s consistently high level of team play. The Clippers’ Travis Smith dominated the faceoffs, winning them all in the first period. Their defense, led by sophomore goalie Gavin Powderly, shut down a Warriors team that had averaged almost 19 goals per game in their three previous tournament appearances.

Jack Peno, fresh off a jaw-dropping 7-goal effort versus Nashoba in the quarterfinals, was handcuffed all night by an inspired Clippers defense that double- and triple-teamed him, mostly preventing him from displaying his elusive talents. Peno was held to only one assist but certainly registered double-digit bruises from the pummeling he was administered as he gamely attempted to create offense.

Odd as it seems in describing a contest where 14 goals were allowed, Zach Coelho, the senior goalie from Truro, was masterful in the net for much of it. He made at least three “how-did-he-do-that?” saves to keep the Warriors within two before they finally broke through on a Joey Berardi goal to make the score 2-1 with 2:24 remaining in the first quarter.

That turned out to be Nauset’s high point. The Clippers went on an 8-goal run that ended with a Michael Flynn man-up goal with 30 seconds remaining in the half to make the score 10-2 at the break. If not for Coelho, it would have been much worse.

“[The team] started out slow but he kicked into gear,” said an admiring Peno of his netminder. “He has a quiet presence,” observed the coach, who went on to describe how Coelho and many of his teammates, who also played for Nauset’s championship hockey team, seamlessly jumped from one grueling season to the next.

In the game’s immediate aftermath, the Warriors gathered around their coach for a few uplifting words and then consoled each other with hugs and smiles. There were none of the tears that often come with a season-ending tournament loss. Instead, the team’s reaction seemed to mirror that of their upbeat coach. The scene was filled with disappointment, certainly, but there was also unmistakable pride and awareness of a wonderful season full of moments to savor.

“We tried and we played hard but they just played better,” said junior midfielder Jake Eldredge, who was a defensive mainstay all year for the Warriors. “It was frustrating not to be able to play with Logan in the last game, but we all just played as hard as we could.”

“Credit to Falmouth,” said Coach Peno. “Rory’s a great coach, and they did a really good job,” referring to Rory Morse, his counterpart on the Clippers’ sideline.

“This was a tough one, but the loss today doesn’t make our season,” Peno continued. “They had an incredible year. What the team accomplished was huge. It hasn’t happened before — back-to-back trips to the Final Four. I’m proud of these guys.”

EASTHAM — Spurred by freshman attackman Jack Peno’s five-goal first-period outburst, the second-seeded Nauset Warriors (17-4) defeated Nashoba 16-10 to reach the Division 3 Final Four in boys lacrosse for the second consecutive year. The Warriors combined Peno’s heroics with a Logan Poulin hat trick and a turnover-creating defense to earn the right to face Falmouth for the third time this year in the semifinals. The game was scheduled for Wednesday, June 11 at Barnstable High School at 6:30 p.m.

The first 6 minutes of Saturday’s game against Nashoba was played almost exclusively in Nauset’s defensive end after an early goal by Truro’s Poulin gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead. Only strong goaltending from Zach Coelho kept the Wolves from scoring more than once. The game was tied at one when Peno, the diminutive freshman, caught fire. In a span of 3 minutes and 13 seconds, he scored 5 times using an assortment of shots and dazzling footwork. This against a notoriously stingy Nashoba defense that had held entire teams to five goals or less 12 times this season.

Peno’s goals helped give the Warriors an 8-1 lead after the first period, and they kept going. His most impressive score came 4 minutes into the second quarter — a twisting display of balletic beauty, slithering through towering, crashing defenders before notching his sixth goal of the game. That gave the Warriors a 10-3 lead, marking the first time since April that Nashoba had given up double-digit goals.

“We just clicked,” said Nauset Coach Jesse Peno of his team’s offensive outburst. “We hadn’t seen man-to-man [defense] in a while, and we were able to take advantage of it.”

Nashoba belatedly switched to a zone and halted the Warriors’ scoring for a stretch that lasted into the third quarter, while Nauset’s defense held the Wolves mostly at bay. Still, it was 10-6 early in the third and the visitors were only a Jack Peno-like run from tying it up.

Instead, Peno again came through, breaking a 16-minute drought with a power play goal to increase Nauset’s lead to 5 with just over 4 minutes left in the period. The Warriors needed only 9 seconds to score again, with Poulin winning the faceoff and sprinting 40 yards before firing a rocket past Wolves goalie Chris LeBlanc.

“He’s a tough kid,” said Coach Peno, who marveled at Poulin’s intensity and willingness to do whatever he could to help the team while battling through injuries.

Nashoba could get no closer than 5 as the Warriors captured their 12th consecutive win and earned a showdown with third-seeded Falmouth for a spot in the championship game.

Before reaching the quarterfinals, Nauset had to get past a tough Hanover squad. Temperatures threatened to reach 90 last Thursday when the Warriors faced the 15th-seeded Hawks in the round of 16, but the heat didn’t seem to bother the athletes. Nauset applied pressure early with a series of aggressive shots from Sam Mayhew and Oscar Escher. Goals from Andrew Blake, Sawyer McCutchen, Logan Poulin, and Jack Peno, and 2 from Joey Berardi followed, giving the team a 6-2 lead going into the second.

Hanover (or “Hanova,” as they were called on Nauset’s scoreboard), stayed within shouting distance, even as the Warriors’ lead widened. The Hawks finally returned Nauset’s early-game pressure with a 5-goal run that spanned the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters. What seemed initially like an easy win was proving to be a challenge.

But Sawyer McCutchen drew a massive cheer from the sun-baked Warriors fans with a goal following a strategic fourth-quarter timeout. Brothers Jack and Brendan Peno combined on a goal a few minutes later. Michael Flynn found the net with three and a half minutes left, followed quickly by another McCutchen tally. That was enough to ensure a 20-14 Nauset victory and a date with Nashoba.

EASTHAM — Nauset’s first-round Division 3 state tournament game looked to be a mismatch on paper, and it turned out to be one in reality. The 2nd-seeded Warriors began what they hope will be a five-game state tournament run with a commanding performance, defeating Montachusett RVT 20-6 on Tuesday at home.

The Bulldogs were the 34th seed, and it did not appear that they would provide much opposition. But the visitors from Fitchburg brought a 10-6 record and a seven-game winning streak to the contest. The streak included two wins over teams they had lost to early in the year, so their improvement was obvious. On the other hand, they were facing a Nauset squad that had compiled a 14-4 record against the third-hardest schedule of the 59 Division 3 teams in the most recent MIAA Power Rankings.

Montachusett was not used to facing an opponent of Nauset’s caliber, having just completed a regular season schedule that ranked near the bottom of Division 3 in difficulty. That became clear at the outset as the Warriors jumped to a 3-0 lead after less than 90 seconds, prompting Bulldogs coach Nick Quirk to call his first timeout. Nauset was leading 5-0 before the Bulldogs had a possession in their offensive zone. Attackman Sawyer McCutchen scored seemingly at will as he accounted for 4 of the goals.

“Sawyer has had an incredible year,” said Nauset Coach Jesse Peno. “I think he has around 40 goals this season. As a senior, he’s taken the next step.”

The Warriors led 9-2 after the first period. The 9 goals exceeded the average Montachusett allowed for an entire game this season. “It was good to see us come out strong,” said Peno. “It is hard to win a playoff game, so it is always good to win the first one.”

Quirk had nothing but praise for his opponent. “They are definitely a great team,” he said. “They are steady and solid at every position, and they play a respectful game,” His team had won its first-ever state tournament game in a mild upset over Martha’s Vineyard several days earlier.

At the same time that Nauset’s attack was stepping up, the senior-heavy defense gave the Montachusett offense little breathing room when they did manage to get into scoring range. Mason Santos, Owen White, and Andrew Bohannon provided a defensive blanket in front of Zach Coelho, who was relieved by Frank Rogers in the second period.

The unit also got in on the scoring, providing a social media moment midway through the second quarter. Bohannon, known as “Bo,” took a Santos pass just short of midfield and changed from a superb defender into an instantaneous dodging machine. To the delight of his teammates, he went 50 yards, making three defenders miss him before bouncing a shot past the helpless Bulldog goalie, Jack Lannon, to make the score 13-3.

Coach Peno lit up when he was reminded of the play. “Bo is an unselfish player, and I give him the green light in that situation,” Peno said. “The defense grinds all game, and when they score like that, it’s awesome.”

Bohannon was pleased with his first career goal. “It was pretty cool,” he said, quickly adding that he wanted to give “kudos to Mason Santos, who started it with a good ground ball.” The senior from Eastham will be majoring in fire science at the University of New Haven in the fall with the goal of becoming a fireman.

The defensive midfield of Jake Eldredge, Jake Everson, and Fin Mayhew also received praise from Peno as they contributed to the offense in addition to providing consistently stellar defense. Calling them “tremendous,” the coach said he was glad to see that they were able to enjoy the opportunity to score. Eldredge, a junior, had a hat trick, while his senior teammates each contributed a goal.

McCutchen and fellow attackman Oscar Escher scored 4 goals each in limited playing time to lead a balanced attack that saw 11 different players notch at least one goal. Peno was happy to see that distribution, and he certainly must have been pleased that many of his team’s goals were assisted. “We try to share the ball the best we can,” he said. “When we do that, we are at our best.”

The Warriors, who have now won 10 in a row, will need to keep playing at their best as the road only gets more difficult. Their next game is against Hanover at home on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Although Hanover is the 15th seed, they are one of only two teams in Division 3 to have played a tougher schedule than the Warriors. Coach Peno expects “a battle.”

EASTHAM — Nauset boys lacrosse came out hot on a cool, blustery afternoon on Tuesday, charging to a 9-1 first quarter lead and coasting the rest of the way to defeat the Pope Francis Cardinals, 18-7.

The Warriors (13-4) entered the game second in the MIAA Division 3 power rankings, having won 9 of their last 10. Pope Francis (5-10) was just out of the playoff picture, at 35th in Division 3. A strong showing against the Warriors would help keep their tournament hopes alive.

But Nauset took charge immediately, storming to a 4-0 lead with 8:22 left in the quarter, prompting Pope Francis to call a first timeout. Nauset then stretched the lead to 8, at which point Warriors Coach Jesse Peno turned to his bench, giving a chance to players who see limited playing time.

“Lots of our younger guys work really hard in practice, and it is good to give them an opportunity,” said Peno, who added he was happy to see his starters support their teammates from the sideline.

The game concluded with Nauset fielding an all-Truro attack featuring seniors Zach Coelho, Frank Rogers, and Mason Santos. Coelho and Rogers spend the majority of their time in goal, while Santos is a mainstay on defense.

A Sports Center-worthy highlight occurred at the end of the first half. In what became an impromptu battle of the dueling goaltenders, Rogers made a save and then cleared the ball nearly the length of the field in a tactic designed to run seconds off the clock. But Cardinals goalie Braeden Gurney caught the ball on a bounce and did his counterpart one better, hurling the ball almost 70 yards on the fly. It found the back of the net for an exceedingly rare goalie goal. The tally made the score 16-2 with 9 seconds left in the half.

While Gurney was being mobbed by his teammates, one Nauset player could be seen sitting in the center of the field shaking his head in amazement. Even Coach Peno was impressed. “That was cool,” he said, noting that he had never witnessed that before.

The Warriors had goals from 13 players, with Sawyer McCutchen and Oscar Escher leading the way with 3 each. Truro’s Logan Poulin added 2, leaving 10 others with one goal apiece. Billy Adams and Brendan Peno both had two assists to top the team in that category.

After a game on Friday at Sandwich to end the regular season, the Warriors will wait to see who they draw for a first-round home game in the state tournament. Peno believes the team is ready for a strong tournament showing due, in part, to the leadership of his 11 seniors.

“The seniors have exhibited tremendous leadership and camaraderie and have created an incredible dynamic,” Peno said. “I just told the team that now we have to play championship lacrosse.” He referred, among other things, to paying attention to details and focusing on every possession. “We’ve seen that steadily improving, so I think we’re ready.”