Boys’ lax salvages week by beating Oliver Ames
By Jay Turner
Fresh off a big win over King Philip in what has been an impressive regular season, the CHS boys’ varsity lacrosse team went out and laid an egg against Franklin last week, falling to the Kelly-Rex Division leaders 11-4 Wednesday at home. Fortunately, the Bulldogs bounced right back two days later with a 7-3 win over Oliver Ames — their second victory against the Tigers this year and seventh win overall.
With the 1-1 week, Canton remained three games above .500 and kept its spot just beneath undefeated Foxboro in the Davenport Division standings. Nevertheless, last week’s lopsided defeat to the Panthers continued a season-long trend, as the Bulldogs fell to 1-3 against the Hockomock’s large school division.
As for Wednesday’s loss, head coach Bill Bendell had little to offer in the way of excuses.
“They just were a better team,” Bendell said of Franklin, which raced out to a 9-3 lead at halftime. “They just kind of dominated from start to finish.”
The good news, he said, is that the Bulldogs are capable of playing much better lacrosse and have done so at various points throughout the season.
Another positive to take away from the game was the balanced scoring, as Canton got its four goals via four different players: seniors Max Kamin and TJ Lennon and sophomores Pat Ward and Nick O’Connor. The lone assist was registered by Shane Nordgren, his first of the season.
On Friday, the team found redemption with a solid home victory over OA, bolstered by outstanding team defense that Bendell called the “key to the win.”
The coach gave the bulk of the credit to his top five defensemen: Conor O’Brien, Andrew Mansfield, Matt Bagley, Rich Nee and Eric Wong.
On offense, the Bulldogs got off to a quick start and took a comfortable 5-1 lead into halftime. Kamin led the way with three goals despite missing the entire fourth quarter, and fellow captain Matt Malloy added to his team lead with two more goals and two assists. Kurt Leavitt also had two goals, and both of his shots were rifles, according to Bendell. Matt Lennon and JC Marcone were both credited with assists in the win.
The 7-4 Bulldogs were scheduled to play three of their six remaining games this week, beginning Monday with a rematch against North Attleboro. The team then travels to Foxboro on Thursday before closing out the week with Senior Night — a special Saturday showdown with Milton beginning at 7 p.m. The Canton Youth Lacrosse team is scheduled to play prior to the game and will stick around to watch the Bulldogs take on the Wildcats.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=5074
Posted by Jay Turner
on May 11 2011. Filed under High School, Sports.
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