Lebanon — The goal makes the score 9-0 for the opposition, and Lebanon High girls lacrosse coach Sara Ecker has her hands atop her head. A few seconds ago, they were on either side of her face, massaging her cheeks as she wandered away down the sideline from the bench.

There are five minutes remaining before halftime in the Raiders’ NHIAA Division III game against visiting Derryfield, and Ecker’s team is headed for an 0-5 start to the season.

Lebanon has never been a lacrosse power, but it’s almost always a playoff team and recently enjoyed a run of three consecutive state semifinal appearances, one of which led to a title game shot, a loss to Windham in 2013.

This year, however, the inexperienced Raiders don’t have the type of standouts who have dotted their past rosters. The 10-member sophomore class is promising, but callow, and can’t turn the tide against a string of top-level opponents featured in the early going. The team struggles on draw controls, is tentative on offense and although it works hard on defense, it gets worn down by playing so much of it.

Still, Ecker is encouraging. When halftime comes, her message doesn’t reflect the instinctive body language she fell into earlier.

“They go for the ball and you guys back off, like you don’t think you’re worthy of it,” Ecker says. “I’m not disappointed in you; I’m disappointed for you.”

The second half goes better, but mostly because undefeated Derryfield inserts substitutes. Ecker paces the sidelines.

“Be smart, Hannah!” she shouts, a split-second before Hannah Bunten, one of the team’s three seniors, throws a pass into an expanse of empty grass. Then to herself: “We’re up two players and we can’t even catch the ball. Painful!”

A minute later, Ecker is encouraging the defense, which is missing senior co-captain Lily Hier, a spark plug who plays absolutely as hard as she is able, which is less of late because of recurring hip pain.

Seated on the bench with an ice bag on the aching joint and her eyes closed, Hier isn’t the only Raider in distress. Sophomore Emma Hansen’s asthma is acting up again, and she’s in tears as she wobbles to the sidelines, fighting for breath.

After several minutes and the comforting presence of athletic trainer Danza Rodrigues, Hansen is able to express that what’s bothering her most is leaving her team down a midfielder.

“It’s not even that serious,” Hansen wheezes to Ecker. “I just don’t want to let you down.”

The coach assures Hansen that’s not the case and later decides she needs to play Hansen for shorter stretches of time and in a position requires less running. There also will that be increased attention to getting her medication in advance of games and working with her parents and doctors to lessen her respiratory distress.

Meanwhile, the score winds up 16-1, the goal coming from Bunten.

“Remind me to talk to you about my schedule,” Ecker jokes to athletic director Mike Stone, who’s sitting on a golf cart near the substitution table. “I never want to play Laconia and Derryfield back-to-back again.”

Actually, Ecker doesn’t want to play Derryfield again, ever. She’s unhappy with the Cougars’ sportsmanship, which results in one of their players being issued a yellow card for sassing a referee. During a Derryfield timeout with a minute remaining, Lebanon goaltender Elizabeth Jones has had enough.

“They’re just going to keep scoring again and again and again!” the junior says angrily. “Why are they taking a timeout?”

Responds Ecker: “What matters at this point is to keep your composure and not go crazy and get a yellow card trying to get the ball back. It’s not worth the negative energy.

“Coming back from a game like this is hard mentally, but it’s what defines you as a player and a person.”

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.