Saints rally in fourth to defeat Cardinals
Decisive 5-2 run keeps team unbeaten this year
“Man, it was a battle. We were just trying to win each quarter and we came out with the win. We just wanted it really bad and nothing was going to stop us.”.” — Will Hopkins, St. Mary’s attackman
St. Mary’s attackman Nick Golini could sense that Calvert Hall was wearing down in the fourth quarter.
It was a perfect time for the Saints to rally.
Golini scored twice in a 5-2 run and No. 6 St. Mary’s boys lacrosse outlasted the second-ranked Cardinals, 13-12, in a key Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference matchup on a blustery Friday night in Towson.
“We just gritted it,” Golini said. “This is what we’ve been working for. Getting in shape. They were tired. We weren’t.”
Golini and fellow attackmen Will Hopkins and Jake Adams finished with three goals apiece, while goalie Zack Overend finished with 10 saves to lead the Saints (8-0, 2-0 MIAA). Bobby Keane scored twice.
Trailing 10-8 heading into the final quarter, the Saints mounted a spirited comeback.
Goals by Golini and Hopkins tied the game at 10 with 8:22 left. Golini and Adams scored again, providing a two-goal cushion.
Nick Steele gave Calvert Hall a glimmer of hope with a goal that cut the margin to 12-11 with 4:06 left. However, Keane put the game away with a goal less than a minute later.
The Cardinals (6-2, 0-1) held the ball for the final 90 seconds, but they could not get a good look for the game-tying goal.
“It was something to see, that’s for sure,” St. Mary’s coach Victor Lilly said. “The kids played their tails off and they were coachable and they believed in the team. They know when you come up here, you have to bring your best game. That’s what they did tonight and they didn’t quit until the final whistle.”
Wyatt Hottle led Calvert Hall with three goals and three assists. EJ Vasile, Davis Provost, Jordan Wray and Steele each had two goals.
The Cardinals had some uncharacteristic unforced turnovers and costly penalties that hampered them throughout the game.
“Our guys have to grow up a little bit mentally,” Calvert Hall coach Bryan Kelly said. “St. Mary’s had better composure and they competed and stayed focused. Our guys have to grow up.”
Hopkins and Adams scored three minutes apart for the Saints, tying the game at 4 with just under nine minutes left in the first half. Keane then gave St. Mary’s its first lead, 5-4, with 6:56 remaining.
The Cardinals settled down and Provost tied the game before Truitt Sunderland gave them back the lead, 6-5, with an unassisted goal. The Saints did a solid job neutralizing Sunderland, who had 15 points in his previous two games but was held to a single goal and an assist.
Hottle scored again with 11 seconds left, giving Calvert Hall a 7-5 lead at the half. However, St. Mary’s mostly controlled the final two quarters.
“Man, it was a battle,” Hopkins said. “We were just trying to win each quarter and we came out with the win. We just wanted it really bad and nothing was going to stop us.”