Vikings win tight test with Hawks
Mount Hebron sends rival River Hill to first setback
Mount Hebron trailed for just 1 minute, 2 seconds, but it never led by more than two goals in an 8-7 victory over host River Hill in boys lacrosse Saturday.
“I think going back like five years now they’ve been one- or two-goal games,” Vikings coach Mike McCarthy said. “We have a tremendous amount of respect for their kids and obviously [coach] Keith [Gonsouland] and their coaching staff. We know it’s going to be a battle every time. Both teams graduated a lot of kids, but obviously the intensity wasn’t lost.”
The Hawks (3-1 Howard County, 3-1 overall) scored two of three goals in the third quarter to tie the game at 5 heading into the final 12 minutes before Mount Hebron (1-1, 2-2) answered with goals from freshman Garrett Snyder and junior Joey Schwartz 1:10 apart early in the fourth.
Senior Wil Ferrer cut River Hill’s deficit to one less than three minutes later, but the Vikings stalled and the Hawks’ chances of a comeback were hurt by a penalty in the final minutes. River Hill pressed and doubleteamed the ball carrier but Schwartz used his speed, circled the cage and buried his second goal into an empty net with 1:17 remaining to make it 8-6.
“They played with composure, and that’s what I was most impressed with for the Hebron team. They played with poise and I’m a little disappointed with the lack of poise we showed,” Gonsouland said. “We must have had like eight penalties and my hat’s off to their faceoff guy Karson Porter. He did an exceptional job and it was a battle with him and Derek [Isaac] at the ‘X’ and he did a great job trying Derek up.”
Isaac won 10 of 17 draws but Porter won three of six in the fourth quarter, including the final draw with 15 seconds remaining after River Hill’s Max Friedman (three goals) made it 8-7.
Simon Perna scored three second-quarter goals for Mount Hebron to give his team a 4-3 lead at the break, while freshmen Mateo Brown and Garrett Snyder combined for three goals.
“Simon is our quarterback on offense,” McCarthy said. “He was one of the few kids at attack who was able to get some time last year. He’s a great player and he’s just going to get better. He kind of calmed us down and he stepped up at the right time and the other guys fed off that.”
Both teams had been playing two goalies in the first three games but both McCarthy and Gonsouland said they may have found their starting goalie based on the performances of Vikings senior Nolan Aberdeen (eight saves) and Hawks sophomore Kevin Hickey (six saves).
“The silver lining for us today is I think we found a goalie. I thought Kevin Hickey played outstanding,” Gonsouland said. “It’s just his second year playing lacrosse and he played exceptionally well.”
River Hill hosts Fallston on Monday while Mount Hebron will travel to Liberty. 9: Kaylan Silva had three goals and Marina Lazarides had two goals and three assists to lead the Grizzlies (4-2) past the host Comets (0-4) at the Comet Invitiational.
Kayla Wood led Catonsville with four goals and one assist.
The Comets also fell to Century, 9-7, in the first game of the three-team tournament. Century upset Garrsion Forest, 9-8, in overtime, in the second game.