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YARMOUTH — Late arrivals are becoming the norm for the Spruce Mountain field hockey team.

After arriving late to a game against Lisbon last week, the Phoenix showed up only 25 minutes before the scheduled start of Wednesday’s game against Gray-New Gloucester/North Yarmouth Academy.

The fashionably late Phoenix were undeterred and earned a 5-1 victory over the Patriots.

“I think that we play better when we have that happen to us,” Spruce Mountain midfielder Maddie Gramaldi said. “It’s happened a couple of times, and our warm-ups were quick, but we just got the main stuff we needed to do done.”

Spruce Mountain (11-2), ranked second in the Class C South Heal point standings, started fast and scored twice in the first quarter. First, Malaire Richards deflected a ball past Patriots keeper Mallory Kulas. Aisla Armandi knocked in the second goal.

“We recognized that we were going to have a quick start,” Armandi said. “We realized we needed to bring our energy and be really intense because we knew they were a very talented team.”

The Phoenix spent most of the contest on offense. Neither team scored in the second quarter, but Spruce Mountain capitalized on its penalty-corner chances with goals by Grimaldi and Linda Lake to extend the lead to 4-0 in the third.

“We were in the 25 most of the game,” Spruce Mountain coach Alex Bessey said. “I think we talked a lot about (at) halftime, just finishing.”

Armandi scored her second goal early in the fourth quarter.

Gray-New Gloucester/NYA (3-8) started getting the ball in its offensive zone after Spruce Mountain made mass substitutions in the final quarter.

The Patriots got their first shot on goal with a minute remaining, then Emma Elgee scored on the second shot with 50 seconds left.

“She just recently started getting quite a bit of playing time for us,” Patriots coach Julia Leary said. “The last couple of games, went into a starting position. She’s a fantastic forward. She’s incredibly conditioned. … She’s been a huge asset for us offensively this year.”

Maddie Grimaldi set the tone for the Phoenix by controlling the middle of the field. That allowed Spruce Mountain to keep the Patriots on their heels and in the defensive end of the field.

“Her communication was good, her energy was good,” Bessey said. “Then (she was) working well with her teammates and making the right passes.”

Spruce Mountain: Aisla Armandi (2 goals), Linda Lake (goal, assist), Maddie Grimaldi (goal), Malaire Richards (goal), Kyleigh Marcotte (one save)

Gray-New Gloucester/NYA: Emma Elgee (goal), Layla Whitman (assist), Mallory Kulas (11 saves).