In any game, Brien McMahon boys lacrosse coach Mike Epstein isn't quite sure which Senators team will show up the one that hung with Greenwich, one of the best teams in the state in a close lost or the one that looks lethargic and out of sync.

There was no doubt Tuesday night that the best McMahon team showed, blasting Central of Bridgeport 18-0 at Jack Casagrande Field. This game was over 29 seconds in when Mike Horne scored the first of his two goals, which was all the Senators would need to improve their record to 8-5.

McMahon scored in close and from far out; the Senators barraged the Hilltoppers goal with shots as the Senators attack men penetrated the defense at will.

It was open season on the Central goal as 12 McMahon players scored goals. Cory McNichols connected on three goals and five other Senators scored two goals in the scoring barrage. Granted, Central is a new program in its third year with a 0-10 record. What's more, the Hilltoppers really never mounted a serious scoring threat.

Central coach Stuart Amdur was more concerned with keeping his team morale positive after a serious thumping. He pointed out that many of his players picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time about two months ago.

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"McMahon is clearly a good team," Amdur said. "They have good stick handling skills and move the ball well. We're building and we're growing. Despite the loss, we're happy to play McMahon."

Going into this game, it was a no-brainer which team would win. But Epstein was looking for intensity and good ball flow on attack, which he got.

The coach is still at a loss when he tries to figure out his team's inconsistent play. Coming off a 15-4 season last year with a strong nucleus of returning players, Epstein was expecting the Senators to move into the elite echelon of FCIAC teams. Last week, McMahon took a solid beating by Ridgefield (13-5) in a game that shouldn't have been that lopsided.

"I can't explain our inconsistency sometimes," Epstein said. "We've played badly at times. I'm not sure why. We still think we have the talent to be a good team."

Junior attack Connor McCormack, who netted two goals, said McMahon showed good ball flow and intensity, which it needed Thursday before press day against a strong St. Joseph's team.

"There are times that we don't show up as a team," McCormack said. "We wanted to swing the ball tonight and be consistent. We did that. We need to play hard every game regardless of who were playing."

In addition to McCormack and Horne, McMahon got two goals from Craig Breden, Andrew Dunlap, Scott McCormack (Sean's brother) and one goal from Christian Leone, James Shaw, T. J. Story, Tyler Lyon, Chris Watson and Lou Digiacamo.

Junior goalie Andrew Landsman never had a serious shot on goal as Central lacked the basic stick handling skills to mount an attack. In the last two quarters, McMahon substituted junior varsity goalies in net. While the Senators almost scored at will, often spreading the offense and passing the ball rather than attacking the net.

McMahon's defense smothered Central's attack behind the solid play of senior co-captain Paul Hammer and midfielder Salieu Bolivar.

In 1:55 seconds into the game, McMahon held a 3-0 lead and never looked back as McNichols and Breden also added early goals to Horne's opener to pull away.

Epstein still thinks his club can meld together down the stretch and be a major force in the FCIAC and state tournaments.

"We're looking to get hot now and do some damage in the league and the state playoffs. We're capable of it," Epstein said.