Boys’ lax team falls in tourney opener
By Canton CitizenBy Dan DeBlasio
Despite going 5-12 in an up-and-down regular season, the Canton High School boys’ lacrosse team qualified for this year’s MIAA state tournament, which began early last week. The Bulldogs earned the 28th and final seed in the Division 3 East bracket and faced off with fifth-seeded powerhouse Dover Sherborn.
Canton, after some mid-season struggles, made a late surge in the final week of the season and looked to be entering the tournament strong. However, the surging Bulldogs were no match for the higher seed and were put away by a score of 15-3.
The Bulldogs did come out strong, matching Dover Sherborn in the early going and holding them in check for the most part.
“We actually felt good about our chances early in this one,” head coach Bill Bendell said. “We found ourselves controlling the ball and only down 2-0 in the second quarter.”
It was at this point when Bendell, in an effort to cut the lead in half, called for a timeout to design a set play to attack the opposing goal.
The play never developed and proved to be the turning point of the game. Canton was called for an illegal stick penalty, giving the ball back to Dover Sherborn and forcing them to play the next three minutes a man down.
Dover Sherborn took full advantage of the odd man situation, scoring four straight goals and pushing the score to 6-0. At this point, the game – and the Bulldog’s season – was all but over.
“It was an unfortunate penalty,” Bendell said. “Four unanswered goals that quick to go up 6-0, then the rout was on.”
After beating Canton, Dover Sherborn moved on to face 12th-seeded Bishop Connolly and beat them soundly 14-2 to cement a spot in the state quarterfinals.
“Dover Sherborn is a very strong lacrosse team,” Bendell said. “They play great ball and they are going to be a hard team for anyone to beat.”
Freshman goalie Pat Ward made 16 saves for the Bulldogs and played outstanding in the loss. Conor O’Brien led the team with seven groundballs and played solid defense alongside Nick Sullivan and Ethan Winchell.
Joe Compagna and Jimmy Paschal each netted a goal, and Nick O’Connor and Chris Thomas added an assist apiece.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=2564
Posted by Canton Citizen
on Jun 10 2010. Filed under High School, Sports.
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