Nisky offense clicks late
4-0 run in 3rd quarter key while defense holds foe scoreless for 14:00
As he reached into his equipment bag to retrieve his jewelry, Niskayuna junior lacrosse attack Brock Behrman wore a satisfied smile. Sure, he likes his jewelry, but Behrman’s gratification revolved around how the Silver Warriors performed over the final 36 minutes Tuesday against Guilderland.
The Silver Warriors fell behind in the first quarter and surged ahead on the strength of the offensive exploits from Behrman, sophomore attack Greyson Vorgang and junior midfielder Tanner Williams and went on to post a 14-9 victory over the Dutchmen in Suburban Council action.
Players from both Niskayuna and Guilderland are savoring going against each other and other area squads again after the 2020 season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. “It is amazing being back out here after two years, especially on our home field,” Behrman said. “Being out here is awesome.”
“Just to get those competitive juices flowing again is great,” Guilderland coach Sean Mcconaghy said.
Niskayuna (3-0 overall, 2-0 league) breezed to a pair of easy victories last week against Columbia and La Salle. The Silver Warriors found the going much more difficult against the
Dutchmen. Guilderland spotted Niskayuna an early goal by Leo O’brien and reeled off three straight scores — two from junior Tommy Tyksinski — to lead 3-1 with 1:50 left in the opening quarter.
Just before the end of the first quarter, Behrman set up Vorgang for the first of his five goals with 6.8 seconds remaining to shave the deficit to 3-2. Dillon Blanchard proved to be an asset all game for the Dutchmen in the faceoff circle, going 5-for-6 in the first 12 minutes.
“I told the guys at the end of the first quarter that if we are not going to clear with efficiency, we are not going to win the faceoffs and we’re going to lose the groundballs, when we get the ball on offense, we have to be really efficient with it,” Niskayuna coach Mike Vorgang said. “They did a nice job with that. They moved the ball and did a really good job of executing off ball movement.”
Behrman, a Times Union all-area second team selection as a freshman when he helped lead Niskayuna to the program’s 17th sectional title in 2019, set up Vorgang and Williams with beautiful passes each converted to tie it at 3.
“He put me in great spots, and I finished them,” Greyson Vorgang said of Behrman.
Guilderland senior Logan Broomhall, who joined teammates Caleb Jacobson and Daniel Macciarella in scoring twice Tuesday, helped send the Dutchmen into intermission down 6-5 after he scored just after being checked to the ground. Broomhall popped up and bounced a shot past Niskayuna goalie Tyler Carroll (14 saves).
Even as Blanchard continued to impress on the draw, the Silver Warriors made the most of their possessions and scored four goals to none in the third quarter to lead 10-5. Vorgang tallied a trio of goals in succession within a minute to extend the lead to 9-5.
“Greyson is a phenomenal shooter and he knows how to get open,” Behrman said.
“That was sweet,” Greyson Vorgang said. “My teammates helped me and the coaches put me in the right spots. That was great and I think really helped us going up (four). We just kept rolling from there.”
“We had a chance man-down to clear the ball, but we turned it over and they come back and got three goals in two minutes,” Mcconaghy said. “I am proud of them. We went 4-4 in the fourth quarter. All we want to do is play against the best and see what we’ve got.”
Niskayuna kept Guilderland from scoring for over 14 minutes between the second and fourth quarters.
“Lacrosse is a game of runs. If you can get on one and limit them, it is huge,” Mike Vorgang said. “We talk to our guys about going on a run and limiting them. That was a big deal.”
“We needed to execute, take care of the ball and have great possessions,” Behrman said. “Having possession matters, especially when we weren’t winning the faceoffs or the groundball battle. It was really important to put the ball in the back of the net when we had it.”
Vorgang set up O’brien for his second goal in the fourth quarter to finish with five goals and one assist.
Behrman had a goal in the fourth quarter to go along with five assists.
Williams had three goals for Nisky and Tyksinski led the Dutchmen with three goals and two assists.