March 20, 2010 —
Langley Saxons welcomed Liberty District rivals Madison Warhawks with a convincing,
9-6 home win this past Saturday to open 2010 boys’ varsity lacrosse district
play for both teams. While not quite the
thrilling, two-day overtime masterpiece of last April that saw Madison dent
Langley’s bid for an undefeated season on the path to its first Regional and
State Championships, the recent afternoon affair had its share of pulsating
moments, the only drawback perhaps having the prime cut of district competition
for the two Liberty powerhouses coming at the very launch of this year’s campaign.
Six
Saxons shared in the day’s scoring, with attacker Sean Ahearn getting a hat-trick while fellow attacker Ethan Bailey delivered a pair of
goals. Middies Joey Byrne and Ryan Miller
and attackers Jack Lundeen and Jack Sandusky provided one goal each.
Warhawk
attacker Will Cybulski crafted a
hat-trick of his own while attacker Gordon
Bailey scored a pair and middie Charlie
Webb added one.
Ryan Long and Andrew Spivey split goal-tending duties
for
with five and nine saves credited, respectively.
freshman goalie Matt Hayden went the
distance in net and turned away 17 Saxon scoring attempts.
A
six-goal Saxon surge in a productive second half for the hosts put the
proceedings largely out of reach of the lively Warhawks, who earlier had
patiently forged leads of 2-1 and 4-3 at the close of first and second quarter play,
respectively, and enjoyed a 5-3 advantage less than three minutes into the second
half. A late consolation score for Madison,
after Langley had built a four-goal with less than four minutes remaining in
the game, provided a flicker of hope for a late-game comeback for the visitors,
but steady Saxon defenses carried the 2009 State titleholders through to a
decisive, season-opening victory.
Both
teams generated extended possessions in the early going, and while the Warhawks
had the better looks at goal resulting in a handful of shots on net, it was
Ahearn that made good on Langley’s first attempt on goal to claim the game’s scoring
breakthrough. The sophomore curled
around the crease area to snap in a close-in shot past Hayden about halfway
through the opening quarter.
late in the period when sharpshooter Cybulski struck twice within a two-minute
span, the first flicking in off a rebound and the second drilling in from 12-yards out. At this stage the flow of
play resembled one way traffic of sorts in favor of the Warhawks, although nearest
they came to grabbing the third goal was an effort from close range that hit Long’s
goal-frame as time was about to expire in the opening period.
A
third did come for the visitors soon after the re-start when
defensive crowd to position well for a quick strike over Long’s shoulder. Ethan Bailey replied less than a minute later when
the Saxon senior maneuvered from behind the net to fire in the second for
Miller
thought he had tied matters at three apiece two minutes later but his apparent
goal was ruled out due to a Saxon crease violation.
Gordon
Bailey restored the two-goal margin for
with a rocket shot from 12 yards that found the five-hole low between goalie Long’s
feet.
The
netminder was able to keep out a series of Warhawk scoring bids in quick
succession, with Saxon defenders dealing well with caroming shots and Long
reacting nicely to block another. A
third
soon after ended in a crease violation ruling that nullified an apparent goal
that would have upped the Warhawk lead to three goals.
Byrne
then used some beefy dodging through the
defensive corps to position for a five-yard scoring shot shrinking the Saxon
deficit to one goal with little more than a minute left in the half.
When
Warhawk senior Webb tallied just past two minutes into the second half, off an assist
from senior middie Mike McCool, it
looked as though
the game for the remainder of the contest. The Warhawk attack next forced a fine double save at the midpoint of the
third period from sophomore goalie Spivey, who had replaced Long in net for the
second half.
But
the battle started to drift in
favor, however, with less than five remaining in the third quarter. Saxon long pole defender Robbie Bennett took possession during an unsettled situation at
midfield, which promptly turned into a
counterattack culminating in Ethan Bailey striking from six yards out to close
the gap to one goal.
than two minutes later when the junior attacker smartly converted at the
doorstep of Hayden’s crease off a crisp pass from Ahearn stationed behind the
net.
Both
goalies produced stellar saves in the closing minutes of the third quarter,
with Spivey first making a fine reaction stop and Hayden denying Ahearn on a point
blank offering then blocking a blistering 15-yarder from Bailey. But the Saxons’ final assault of the period put
again, this during an extra man opportunity with a well-worked feed pass from
Byrne to Ahearn, who feinted then flicked into the unguarded side from the
doorstep of the Hayden’s cage.
While
the clash still had the flavor of a finely-balanced struggle going into the
final quarter, the host’s momentum was mounting and the Saxons proceeded to
deliver another trio of goals — a Miller bounce shot from eight yards out, Ahearn’s
third of the day off a precise crossing pass from freshman middie Luke Salzer, and
a Lundeen score into the upper right hand side of the net from five yards out
with Byrne assisting.
Cybulski
then completed his hat-trick in the dying moments when the
senior weaved through
defenses and punched in his third of the day from five yards out to close out
scoring for the entertaining encounter.
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