The boys lacrosse team came at from every angle possible, literally. Playing without their two top scorers, nine different Patriots put the ball in the net, as they defeated the Spy Ponders by a convincing 11-2 count at Arlington on Thursday evening.
It was the ultimate team effort for C-C, as a total of 12 players appeared on the stat sheet. On top of the nine goal-scorers, five different Patriots (5-0) picked up assists on the day.
“Without (the top scorers) in I think some of the other guys stepped up and shared the responsibility,” C-C coach Tom Dalicandro said as his team boarded the bus for the ride back down Route 2. “It’s great, because the other day we struggled to score until the fourth quarter, and today was just a good team effort, I thought.”
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The 11 goals were an offensive outburst of sorts for the Patriots. It had been a week since the team had topped double-digits in scoring.
For Arlington (1-2), it was hard to imagine the Patriots could play any better. C-C led just 3-1 after the first period, but then turned it on for six unanswered goals in the second quarter to go up 9-1 entering halftime. By that time, eight players had found the back of the net for the Patriots.
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“They just keep sending guys at you and you have to be in shape and ready to run with them,” Arlington coach Dan Gardner said. “Today we just didn’t do those things. They have a fantastic team, they work really hard and everything they get they deserve.”
Overall, midfielders Brendan Gay and Chris Jacks led the Patriots with two goals apiece. Single scores came from midfielders, Mike O’Brien, Max Barrett and Charlie Painter, attackmen Matt Carroll and Tim Badgley and defensemen Sam Juris and Matt Salemi.
Seth Bird added four assists for Concord-Carlisle.
Midfielder Gabriel Borunda put in both of Arlington’s goals, and Gardner said midfielder Connor Duggan was the best player on the field for the Spy Ponders.
It was hard to peg that honor on just one Patriot, as so many seemed to be playing at the top of their game.
Concord-Carlisle’s momentum began to roll from the start, when the Patriots pumped in goals by Carroll, Jacks and Gay. Borunda put the Spy Ponders on the scoreboard with 6 minutes, 46 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
But, by Dalicandro’s estimation, the Patriots really didn’t pick up their play until the second quarter. Relying mainly on the transition game, turning turnovers into points on the scoreboard, the Patriots scored three goals – one apiece from Barrett, Jacks and O’Brien – in the quarter’s first two minutes.
Painter made it 7-1 Patriots with five minutes left. Then, as if any doubt remained, C-C added two goals in the 20 seconds remaining before halftime. Salemi scored with 19.8 seconds left and Juris made it 9-1 with less than a second on the clock.
“Today, we had a lot of transition opportunities and that’s the game of lacrosse. Six-on-six it’s hard to score, but if you can get some transition” you’ll be successful, Dalicandro said. “We did a good job of finishing and I really was impressed with the second quarter overall – defense, transition, clearing and offense.”
C-C added to its lead with Gay’s goal with 2:38 left in the third quarter. Badgley capped his team’s scoring 10:47 to go in the fourth.
Borunda added his and his team’s second goal of the game with 8:46 left in the game.
Despite the loss, Gardner said he was proud of the way his team fought and didn’t give up.
“I think we have the hardest working team in the state,” he said. “Our skills are going to be behind most teams that we face, it’s just a product of where we are with the program. But there is not one team in the state that is going to out work our kids and give the effort that they do.”