Warriors grab third
Deny Eagles’ rally
Yesterday’s state championship game was a perfect example of how hard it has been for the opposition to beat Lincoln-Sudbury the last few years.
The Warriors willed themselves to victory at Boston University’s Nickerson Field, taking an early lead and holding off a furious BC High rally to capture the Division 1 title with a thrilling 8-7 win.
The championship is the third straight for L-S.
“It’s icing on the cake for these kids that believe in the word ‘team’,” coach Brian Vona said. “This team isn’t about L-S. It’s about all the teams out there that stick together, play hard together and work.”
The Warriors (19-1) looked like they would cruise to their threepeat win after a first-quarter effort put them ahead, 5-0. Jack Sutherland scored two of his three goals in the quarter and Matthew Ward added a goal and assist.
“The thing that we talked about in this game was a quick, fast start,” Sutherland said. “The way we play, we’re not going to beat you one-on-one, so we had to get out of the gate fast.”
Determined BC High (19- 4) would not say die. L-S scored the first goal of the third quarter to increase its lead to 8-3, but the Eagles nearly rallied all the way back.
“That’s the second-best, maybe the first-best defense in the state,” Sutherland said. “They’re going to give you a fight, and that’s absolutely what they did.”
Staunch team defense and a pair of late goals from Charlie Pyne brought BC High within one, but the Warriors were able to gain possession and run out the final 45 seconds.
Hayden Frey had a pair of goals for L-S, while goalie Trevor van Leer won his third straight state title starting in net for the Warriors.