Tag Archives: Massachusetts Lacrosse

Jun 14 2012

Mass HS Lax Recap: Duxbury 10, Needham 8 (Div. I Championship)

By Hayden Bird 

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Despite the rain, the weight of unending expectation and implacable opposition from the Needham Rockets, the Duxbury Dragons claimed their ninth boy’s lacrosse state title since 2002 by a 10-8 final score.

Coming into the game, Needham and Duxbury had taken very different paths to reach the state championship. Duxbury (23-2) had cruised in the tournament, never winning a game by less than 10 goals.

Needham (16-6) scrapped every step of the way, including a tight 9-8 win in the quarterfinals over Masconomet.

So the early forecasts for the game skewed heavily in Duxbury’s favor. And at the outset, it seemed that Duxbury would pick up where they had left off against Lincoln-Sudbury, (where they won 18-6).

Charging to a 3-0 lead, the run included two goals from Sam Sweet and one from Jon Gomer.

Gomer, who scored in the semifinals, has found a knack for big-game goals.

“When Jon scores, he does it with style,” said Duxbury coach Chris Sweet.

Needham, bereft of any notion that Duxbury might have an off-night, began to claw their way back in the second quarter.

Goals from Mikey Panepinto and Nico Panepinto brought Needham back into the game by halftime, but Duxbury still led, 6-3.

And though the underdog Rockets trailed, they were spurred on by calming words from their coach Dave Wainwright.

“We just told them to stay calm and relax,” Wainright said of his team’s halftime message.

Yet, the third quarter began badly for Needham, who conceded four goals while only scoring one themselves by Nico Panepinto. Duxbury had tacked on additional goals from Will Siefert, Seamus Connelly, Chris Williams and another from Sweet, who completed his hat trick.

And Henry Narlee, whose face-off dominance has reined supreme in Massachusetts all season, keyed the Duxbury second half run.

“He’s been our unsung hero all season,” Sweet earnestly said of his midfielder following the game.

With the game at 10-4 in favor of Duxbury, it appeared the contest was essentially over.

Yet, Needham had other thoughts. Slowly, but surely, they began finding the net. Four goals in five minutes to begin the fourth quarter made it 10-8 almost out of nowhere.

Duxbury goalie Henry Boungorio could have panicked, having not faced this kind of opposition in the whole playoff run. Still, he kept his nerve.

“I didn’t panic,” said Buongurio. “I know I have a great defense in front of me.”

And Chris Williams, Duxbury’s leader in ground balls, came up with arguably the biggest one of his life when Needham was pressuring late. This all, but iced, yet another state title.

“He’s the scrappiest player we have,” Sweet declared happily afterward. “He’s been that way ever since he was in third grade and he came up big.”

In the end, despite a heroic rally from Needham, the vaunted Duxbury Dragons claimed yet another trophy, causing an eruption of cheers from their fans and players as the final whistle sounded.

Jun 10 2012

Mass HS Lax Recap: Duxbury 18, Lincoln-Sudbury 6

By Hayden Bird 

DUXBURY, MA – In what started as a shootout between two Massachusetts high school lacrosse juggernauts, ended with Duxbury emerging as the definitive victors over Lincoln-Sudbury, 18-6.

After a regular season matchup, which saw traditional powerhouse Duxbury (22-2) struggle to beat the rising Warriors from Lincoln-Sudbury (16-6) by a single goal, the second matchup promised to be a dogfight.

At the outset, Lincoln-Sudbury controlled the face-offs; surprising considering it’s generally the province of Duxbury dominance.

Yet the face-off wins did not initially translate into offense though, and a quick Duxbury counterattack put the home team Dragons into the lead. Duxbury’s Seamus Connelly found Will Siefert to complete a full-field move that took less than 10 seconds, as he deposited the ball into the net for the game’s first goal.

“Today was really a team effort,” said Duxbury coach Chris Sweet.

Still, the early going showed the tenacity that Lincoln-Sudbury has shown all season.

More face-off wins from the away team eventually propelled them toward a first quarter lead. Lincoln-Sudbury attackers Colby Hall and Dan Dalaney silenced the large hometown crowd, seizing a 2-1 lead midway through the opening frame.

And even though Duxbury reclaimed a 4-3 lead by the end of the first, the result was still hanging very much in the balance.

At this point, Duxbury seniors began to take over. Whether or not the difference was senior leadership, (Duxbury has 18 seniors to Lincoln-Sudbury’s three) is impossible to tell.

What is beyond doubt, however, is that Duxbury’s seniors played some of the best lacrosse they may ever play.

“Well, seniors always get it done for Duxbury this time of year,” said Sweet. “Each and every one of them had one of the best games of their career.”

For the entire second quarter, Lincoln-Sudbury did not score and Duxbury began to assert their selves by tallying four unanswered goals to take an 8-3 lead into halftime.

The second half continued Duxbury’s assent in the game, and it started with a turnaround in the face-offs. Henry Narlee scored a third quarter hat trick, and won eight consecutive draws to help Duxbury build a 15-5 lead by the start of the fourth quarter.

In the end, Coach Sweet’s assertion proved accurate in noting, “They’re a great team, but we were just a lot better today.”

The final quarter saw a conclusion of what was team domination by Duxbury. Ten different players scored and goalie Henry Buongorio made key saves to keep the lead comfortable.

“Buongorio came up with some huge saves,” said Sweet in tribute to his steady goalie.

When the final whistle sounded, Duxbury emerged with a 12-point victory and a berth in the state finals.

“We’re certainly going to enjoy this for a little bit, but were going to get right back to work to get ready for Wednesday,” declared Sweet after that game.

Duxbury will face Needham next Wednesday at Harvard University at 7:45pm.

Jun 7 2012

Connelly, Sweet Powered Duxbury’s Attack Against Franklin

By Matt Noonan 

DUXBURY, MA – Head coach Chris Sweet made it quite clear on Wednesday that his entire Duxbury team is a unit, not individuals.

Although, against the Franklin Panthers in the MIAA Div. 1 East quarterfinals, Sweet’s notion wasn’t entirely exhibited, as seniors Seamus Connelly and Sam Sweet fueled the Duxbury attack with eight goals and three assists en route to a 15-3 victory.

“All three of our attackman have developed some good chemistry and Sam is more of a set-up guy and understands that’s his role, and Seamus is a great catch-and-shoot guy, [who] understands his role,” explained Coach Sweet. “They’ve developed some good chemistry, and I hope that can continue into the next round of games.”

Both Sam and Seamus, who have spent the entire season together on attack, expressed that the main reason why the Dragons were so successful against the Panthers was due to their ball movement, which opened lanes for various players to dodge and shoot.

“The whole offense [has to] be moving, and if they’re not then we look bad, so really it’s the other three-four guys out on the field that help us out and help us look good,” said the younger Sweet.

“Our whole offense, obviously Sam in particular was moving the whole time, moving the ball quick and luckily I was able to be on the last end of some of those passes,” said Connelly.

Duxbury also exhibited a 2-2-2 offensive formation for a majority of the first half, which allowed Connelly and Sweet to assist the Dragons attack, especially in the first half.

“We were in a 2-2-2 offense for the most part, so when me or [Will Seifert] dodges from behind, we’re looking to the crease and Seamus is on the crease and he’s got the best hands on the team, and he’s the best finisher,” exclaimed the younger Sweet. “So, we just get it to him, and it’s in the back of the net.”

“It definitely all starts with Sammy and Will Seifert behind the goal, they kind of just do their own thing, and I kind of do my own thing up top with the middies, and we got a couple ankle breakers, so it’s easy to put the ball in the net,” Connelly exclaimed.

The Dragons are now two wins away from earning their second consecutive state championship, and will return to their turf on Saturday when they welcome Lincoln-Sudbury to Duxbury, a team that they barely defeated earlier this season.

“It’s certainly going to be tough. We’ve got L-S, and we beat them by a goal [and] by the skin of our teeth a couple weeks ago, so that’s going to be a huge game, and we’re just going to have to ride our seniors like we always do,” stated Connelly.

“We just have to dig deep. It was a close game last time. We’ve just got to come out strong, come out pumped up and they’re a good team, so it’ll be a battle,” exclaimed the younger Sweet.

Jun 6 2012

VIDEOS: Wellesley Defeats Scituate, 7-4

By NoontimeSports.com 

Here are three video interviews from Tuesday’s MIAA Div. 2 East quarterfinals match between Wellesley and Scituate.

The Raiders, who never trailed, went on a 4-0 run in the first half to secure a lead they never relinquished, as Wellesley defeated Scituate, 7-4, and punched their ticket to the semi-finals on Friday against Hingham.

Wellesley senior co-captain Adam Horelick finished the game with two goals, sophomore John Caraviello added one goal and two assists, while senior netminder Connor Darcey recorded 21 saves between the pipes.

For more on this particular game — hop over to BostonLax.net for a complete game recap.

 

 

May 17 2012

Mass High School Lax Recap: Concord-Carlisle Remains Perfect, Defeats King Phillip, 13-2

By Hayden Bird 

CONCORD, MA – Concord Carlisle’s boy’s lacrosse team breezed through a 13-2 win against King Phillip on Thursday afternoon, furthering their still-perfect record.

CC (14-0) is the only undefeated team left in Massachusetts, but the pressure doesn’t seem to be showing.

“It’s there,” said Concord’s coach Tom Dalicandro about the perfect record. “It’s not like we don’t know, but we don’t talk about.”

The business-as-usual method in dealing with their unique position paid dividends against their regional high school opponents.

The Patriots preserved their perfect record on Thursday, as they defeated the Warriors of King Phillip. (Photo Credit: Matt Noonan)

King Phillip (7-9) has been undeniably improved in the second half of their season (7-2 in their last nine before today) as opposed to the first part of the campaign, when the team started the year 0-6.

Yet from the opening faceoff, it was clear that King Phillip were overmatched.

Concord-Carlisle’s faceoff specialist, Will Blumenberg, who practically won all the face-offs, scored the first goal of the game after several minutes of deadlock, which provided the Patriots with all the momentum.

Two more quick goals came in two minutes, with Peter Anastos and Tim Badgley only too happy to oblige opening in King Phillip’s defense.

Finally, after regaining the imitative, the visitors got off the mark through a goal from Brett McElroy, making it momentarily, 3-1.

The second quarter saw a tightening of CC’s man marking scheme, spurred on by some adamant words from coach Dalicandro.

“I think defensively and goaltending, we’re pretty good,” he noted afterward.

And the increasingly suffocating defense allowed Concord to monopolize possession of the ball. So when CC’s offense got back in gear and notched two more goals, it was no surprise.

“Offensively, I think we improved today and we’re getting better,” Dalicandro said of his team.

The halftime score was 6-1, and things did not improve for a backpedaling King Phillip’s squad following the interval.

An endless stream of faceoff wins and a lack of penalties, (Concord committed only one, in the fourth quarter) helped kill off the game for the home team, who remain in pursuit of perfection.

The defense picked up where they had confidently left off in the first half, and by the time of King Phillip’s second goal of the game, Concord-Carlisle had chalked up seven more (bringing the final score to 13-2).

“We’re trying to get to 10 goals a game,” said Dalicandro. “That’s the key. And we did that today.”

May 17 2012

Mass High School Lax Recap: Wellesley Defeats Newton North

By Hayden Bird 

NEWTON, MA – Behind sharp defense and impressive goalkeeping, Wellesley high school’s boys lacrosse defeated Newton North on Wednesday, 7-0.

Wellesley (14-3) appeared to be the stronger team for a majority of the afternoon, but it was the home team, Newton North (11-4), which got the first effort on goal. Although, after the early nerves settled, it was the visitors from Wellesley, who opened the scoring behind midfielder Brian Pedersen.

Within minutes, the Raiders doubled their lead behind another midfielder by the name of Oliver Saffery, who executed a perfect catch and shoot into the lower third of the goal.

“I was really happy with our offense,” said Wellesley head coach Rocky Batty. “They did a couple of the things we’ve been working on for the last few weeks. They clicked a lot more.”

Yet it was Wellesley’s defense which accounted for much of the early success.

“I thought the defense played really well today,” noted Batty. “Guys were coming off the field tired, but that just meant they left it on the field. I thought the entire unit on the defense played big today.”

And even when Newton North managed to snipe a random shot, Wellesley goalie Connor Darcey was ready.

Darcey exhibited his customary versatility against Tigers throughout the game. Still, it was his work as a goalie, which made the difference.

Shot after Newton shot was turned away, and his distribution was well taken too, igniting counterattacks.

But Batty was quick to credit his defense as a whole.

“He is as valuable as the defense in front of him is, and that’s the reality. We weigh them all equally. Connor Darcy’s fantastic, he’ll tell you himself, but he sees shots he can save,” added Batty.

Right at the end of the half, Wellesley exhibited a great move that involved Pedersen, who found John Caraviello, who in-turn found attacker Peter Crane for the score.

The movement came so quickly and fluidly that Crane was nearly wide-open, and he predictably buried the ball in the net, leaving only nine seconds on the clock.

The second half began with renewed vigor from Newton North, who pelted Darcey with a series of shots.

“Newton North is a very, very good team,” said Batty. “They challenged us.”

Darcey, however, was more than up to the challenge, saving time and again.

Even when he turned the ball over after making a save, he immediately made yet another save.

By the end of the third quarter, Wellesley’s momentum was beginning strangle the game. Three goals came in quick succession from Kerry Lyne, Saffery and Pedersen.

The final quarter of play was quiet, with Crane adding one more to round out the scoring at 7-0 before the game ended.

“Were getting there” said Batty afterward. “We’re not there yet though.”

Apr 13 2012

Boston Lax: Player Profile – Ryan Scheib (Xaverian Bros.)

Ryan Scheib talks about the current season, and team goals for the remainder of the 2012 season! (Photo Credit: Matt Noonan)

By NoontimeSports.com 

Our friends at BostonLax.net unveiled their first player profile on Friday - Ryan Scheib of Xaverian Brothers High School.

Click the LINK above to read the interview.

Also, make sure to visit the website for all your lacrosse news and highlights from Massachusetts.

Apr 12 2012

Mass HS Lax Observations: Foxborough 12, Canton 4

Foxborough earned their second win of the 2012 season on Wednesday, as they defeated Canton, 12-4! (Photo Credit: Matt Noonan)

By Matt Noonan 

FOXBOROUGH, MA – Entering Wednesday’s match against Canton, Foxborough’s boy’s lacrosse team had one thing on their mind – erase the five-goal deficit from Tuesday. And luckily, they did, as the Warriors defeated the Bulldogs, 12-4, and earned their first Hockomock League victory.

“They’re a tough team, they’re good, they’re physical, [and] they’ve got a lot of good players,” said Canton head coach Bill Bendell. “We knew it was going to be a battle, but they outplayed us.”

Here are a few thoughts and reactions from this particular conference clash.

The Impact of Drew McGeary: It’s not too often that one player can spark a team’s offense, but against Canton’s defense, Foxborough’s Drew McGeary jumpstarted the Warriors attack with four goals.

“We just focused on getting the offensive possessions, and then we [were] just patient on offense, setting ball screens, away screens, just really mixing it up, staying in motion, [and] opening things up,” said McGeary.

And while the Bulldogs honed in on McGeary, they allowed two other Warriors – Tyler Ames, (two goals, one assist) and Jake Soccorso, (three goals, three assists) – to whip shots past Rich Nee, (four saves) for five combined tallies.

“Those [are] guys that I need to play at that level,” stated Foxborough head coach Matt Noone. “[On Wednesday] they did it, [but] I just hope they’ll do it against Franklin, I hope they’ll do it against Mansfield, [and] I hope they’ll do it against King Phillip.”

“Canton was a big game, they’re in our league and they’re [a] small school in our league and we’re a small school, so it’s nice to see them step up, but I need them to step up [against] the teams that are also a threat to us,” added Noone.

Foxborough entered the current campaign with a variety of new names on their varsity roster, which means Noone will need everyone to step up and contribute for the remainder of the 2012 season.

Avenging the Xaverian Bros. Loss: Against the Hawks on Tuesday, the Warriors Villanova-bound netminder Greg Stamatov allowed eight goals, while his teammates mustered three points, which wasn’t enough to beat Xaverian Bros.

“I told them that the best way to overcome a loss is going out on the field and winning,” added Noone.

The Warriors adhered to their coach’s advice on Wednesday, and rebounded with an impressive victory, which hopefully will propel them to a second consecutive win on Friday against Oliver Ames.

“We wanted to avenge the loss to Xaverian, and I thought we came out flying and we did our job,” said Soccorso.

Other Notes:

* Similar to last year, I really enjoyed watching Greg Stamatov defend the Warriors cage. He ended the contest with nine saves, but yielded three goals in the third quarter. And even though he was whistled for taking out his mouth guard in the third quarter, I definitely think he’ll continue to be a major factor for the Warriors this season.

* Canton only has two seniors on their team, so I’m expecting this particular year will be another learning experience for Bendell’s squad. However, against Foxborough, they did manage to record 40 ground balls and 23 shots on net.

* Foxborough has now beaten Canton 10 consecutive times, which is a rather impressive stat, eh? The last time the Bulldogs defeated the Warriors was in April of 2007.

* Finally, if Foxborough is going to be successful, they’ll need their midfield and attack to score numerous goals. Stamatov will do his part, but cannot save shots and score goals for the Warriors, so it’ll be interesting to see if Soccorso, Ames and McGeary can continue carry their offense.  

For more on this particular clash – check out the recap on BostonLax.net.

Apr 10 2012

Mass HS Lax Observations: Dover-Sherborn 10, Cohasset 5

Dover-Sherborn picked up their fifth win of the 2012 season on Monday by defeating Cohasset, 10-5! (Photo Credit: Matt Noonan for NoontimeSports.com)

By Matt Noonan 

Monday’s non-conference clash between Dover-Sherborn and Cohasset was certainly entertaining, as three members of the Raiders offense – Ben Newbert, Jared Spence and Billy Polk – each recorded a hat trick, which helped D-S defeat Cohasset, 10-5.

Here are a few takeaways and thoughts from the Raiders fifth consecutive victory of the 2012 season.

D-S head coach Brian McLaughlin on the play of Newbert and Polk: “This is [Billy’s] fourth year on the varsity, and Ben’s been on for three, so even from the youth on up they’ve played a lot of lacrosse together. They’re two of the best kids you want to know. Both [Ben and Billy] are going to great schools, [and are] smart kids, so they’re both just terrific kids – good lacrosse players, but even better kids.”

Newbert on the win, and field chemistry:  Once the contest concluded, Newbert commended his offense, which attempted many shots throughout the four quarters, but also managed to tally 10 strikes.

“We had a few very nice goals [in the first half] with ball movement,” said Newbert. “We [just] wanted to keep moving the ball, and [use] all three of us on attack and our midfielders to kind of get wide open shots and not take hard ones.”

Newbert also discussed the chemistry that he and Billy Polk have built up over the past few seasons, too.

“I’ve been playing with him since youth lacrosse,” explained Newbert. “He makes things happen, and it’s just kind of playing with him constantly that you kind of just know where he’s going to be, and he knows where you’re going to be, so you just figure out things like that.”

Both players entered this particular contest having experienced a great deal of success in their prior match against Hopkinton, which featured four goals from Polk, and a pair from Newbert.

Cohasset’s impressive netminder: It’s been a tough few days for the Skippers, who’re currently sporting a 1-2 record and reside in the South Shore basement.

However, despite enduring their first road loss of the season, one positive takeaway was the play of sophomore netminder Jack Conte, who recorded 21 saves between the pipes.

“[He’s] a sophomore goalie,” stated Cohasset head coach Tom Flanagan. “I have two great goalies, and it’s a fun situation if one guy comes to practice 15 minutes early, the next practice the other guy is 20 minutes early, and the next guy is 25 minutes early. It’s great competition.

Conte certainly got stronger as the game progressed, but various saves in the third and fourth quarters didn’t exactly propel Cohasset to victory.

“Jack’s a sophomore, [and] he’s a great kid,” exclaimed Flanagan. “He played on his head [on Monday]. A lot of feeding right on the crease, right on the doorsteps, stepping in, taking control.”

For more on this particular game – check out the BostonLax.net recap.

Apr 4 2012

Check Out The Boston Lax Podcast (Apr. 4, 2012)

By NoontimeSports.com

The high school boy’s lacrosse season officially kicked-off last week, but this week, our friends at BostonLax.net released their first official podcast.

Sean Morris, Bruce Lerch and Noontime Sports’ Matt Noonan discussed the first week, as well as various teams and players to eye.

To listen to the podcast – CLICK HERE