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OAKLAND — A win in the Brunswick-Messalonskee boys lacrosse rivalry is always something worth savoring. To Rob Bowen, this one meant even more.

In four years of junior varsity and varsity lacrosse, Bowen had never won at Messalonskee High School. The Veterans Field turf was also the site of the Brunswick boys soccer team’s painful state title game defeat in November, but on Tuesday, it was the site of something great for the Dragons.

Bowen scored six goals — including the 100th of his career — and added four assists as Brunswick took down Messalonskee 16-11 in a Class B showdown. Dragons coach Ben Herman called the win “season-defining.”

“It’s kind of funny; our schools are super far away, but we’ve always been two of the top teams in Class B, and it’s always a great one,” Bowen said. “It feels good to come (here) and finally get a victory.”

HOW THEY DID IT

• Bowen put Brunswick (2-2) up 2-1 with 7:47 left in the first quarter. His second goal, the 100th of his career, gave the Dragons a 6-4 lead with 5.1 seconds left in the quarter. He scored twice more in the second quarter and added a goal in the third and the fourth.

• Brunswick dominated the second half. In a back-and-forth first half, neither team led by more than a goal as the teams went to the break tied 9-9. The Dragons then pounced the first two goals in the second half and never looked back, handing Messalonskee (6-1) its first defeat.

“Their goalie (Andrew Witham) is exceptional, and our game plan was, ‘We can’t give him bad shots; we have to work for the best shot,’” said Herman. “We had to possess the ball, work for what we can get and keep it moving if we don’t have it. I thought we did better at that as the game went on.”

• Brunswick played shutdown defense late. After Messalonksee netted four goals in the first quarter and five in the second, the Dragons didn’t allow the Eagles to generate much offensively in the second half.

“It was really the defense; the offense played well in the first half, but the defense locked in in the second,” Bowen said. “We settled down; we knew we could beat them, and we stuck to our normal game plan.”

WHAT IT MEANS

• Brunswick showed it’s a player in Class B. The Dragons’ three games entering Tuesday included losses to Thornton Academy and Yarmouth, the first- and third-ranked teams in the Varsity Maine poll, but now they can be seen as contenders.

• Messalonskee followed its own marquee win, a 7-6 victory over Class A Cape Elizabeth on Friday, with its first loss. The Eagles were coming off an emotional high, and coach Tom Sheridan said that was evident against Brunswick.

“(That was) absolutely (a factor), and when you have Brunswick coming in next, you have to make sure you’re playing your best,” Sheridan said. “We just didn’t have the breaks we needed, and sometimes that’s just how it goes.”

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

“I think we tried to force the ball into tight windows instead of running and playing our usual game. So we’ll definitely have some stuff to work on for sure. Being 6-1 after seven games, that’s not the end of the world, and we’ll try to come out and be better next time.” — Tom Sheridan

STAT LEADERS

• Brunswick: Rob Bowen (six goals, four assists), Noah Koelker (three goals), Ryan Livesay (two goals, assist) Noah Simelian (two goals, assist)

• Messalonskee: Peyton Henning (five goals), Landon Stewart (two goals, assist), Malachi Cusano (goal, assist)

UP NEXT

• Brunswick: vs. South Portland (2-3), 6:30 p.m. Friday

• Messalonskee: at Gardiner (3-1), 4 p.m. Tuesday