Submitted by Langley Lacrosse
May 15, 2010 — Two late-game goals and commanding possession in the closing minutes proved to be the difference for the Langley Saxons in securing a slim 10-9 victory and Liberty District top honors in boys lacrosse at the expense of a hard-working Madison Warhawk team this past Saturday evening at Marshall High School.
A hat-trick from Saxon attacker Ethan Bailey, who got the game-winner, and a pair from middie Joey Byrne canceled out the four-goal haul of Madison attacking sharpshooter Will Cybulski. While Warhawk freshman goalie Matt Hayden contributed a stellar performance in net to keep his side close, Langley’s troops had the last word and slimmest of winning edge as the final horn blared.
The district title is a third straight for the 2009 Northern Region and State champs, and the second in succession in a final against Madison, which suffered an 11-8 defeat last year.
The win also completed a clean sweep by the Saxons against all Liberty District opponents this season, the first time for Langley going back to at least 1998, if not the first time ever for the Saxons since the district’s inaugural year in 1993.
In addition to goals from Bailey and Byrne, Saxon attacker Sean Ahearn, middies Ryan Miller, Luke Salzer, Troy Scharfen, and defender Robbie Bennett provided one each, the latter a pivotal, momentum-shifting equalizer coming in the fourth quarter. Madison senior middie John Groce netted twice while senior middies Kyle Headley and Eric Roland, and senior attacker Steve Brenyo, had single goals to go with Cybulski’s four.
Ryan Long and Andrew Spivey shared goal-tending chores for Langley and were credited with five and 11 saves in the first and second halves of the game played, respectively, while Hayden guarded the crease for the Warhawks throughout and came up with 11 saves.
Both sides came into the contest in rich vein of form. The Saxons (14-1), having beaten Marshall and South Lakes to get to district final, were riding an 11-game win streak since their only loss thus far this campaign — an early-season overtime set-back to out-of-region Loudoun Valley — and had assembled undefeated runs of 12 games against Liberty District opponents and 21 games against Northern Region foes since a regular season overtime defeat to Madison in April 2009. For their part, the Warhawks (11-6) dispatched Mclean and South Bridge to grab a berth in the playoff final and had prevailed in nine match-ups involving Northern Region teams since falling to West Springfield in late March. Their three defeats during that span all came against powerful private school teams — St. Albans, Landon and Georgetown Prep.
Saturday’s clash closely followed the script for recent Saxon-Warhawk battles, with this edition featuring six lead changes, lively transition play and an outcome that remained unsettled until very late. A first-quarter surge by Langley generated a three-goal lead that evaporated during a second quarter dominated largely by Cybulski, whose fourth of the night gave the Warhawks a 7-6 advantage to close out the first half of play. Madison enjoyed that one-goal advantage until nearly the middle of the third quarter, and pushed ahead again early in the final period with a lead that held until seven minutes remaining in regulation time. But clutch goal-scoring and a sustained stretch of ball control in their attack half for the last three minutes of game time saw the Saxons through to the finish line with the one-goal margin.
A couple of strikes from Langley’s Bailey on each side of goals from Warhawks Groce and Cybulski got the match rolling early in the first quarter. The Saxons grabbed the lead for the second time with little more than three minutes left in the opening period when Byrne finished from close range off of an assisting pass from Scharfen after the Langley junior had set the scoring play in motion with a steal and long transition run into attack.
Byrne was busy again from the following face-off, and quickly got a shot off that was well-saved by Hayden. The Saxon senior was more successful less than a minute later, however, when he was the recipient of a sublime behind-the-back, no-look pass from Bailey, who had attracted the attention of several Madison defenders leaving Byrne free to work Hayden from close range for the easy score.
The Warhawks came close to getting their third as the first quarter was winding down when Gordon Bailey worked around the close checking of Langley junior defender Brenden Dwyer to get off a shot from just outside the crease, but the senior middie’s effort was sufficiently impeded allowing Long to collect the goal-bound attempt. This was launch point of a fast break in the other direction that resulted in Ahearn snapping in from four yards for the Saxon’s fifth with just six seconds left in the opening period.
Langley looked to have increased their lead early in the second quarter but a crease violation ruled out what would have created a persuasive 6-2 goal margin. This may have been the warning sign Madison needed to stir its offense. The Warhawks’ Bailey hit the pipe from a wide angle shortly after, but neither the goal-frame nor Long could keep out Cybulski’s next two shots — the first coming when the senior emerged from a scrum with the ball to fire in from five yards, and the second, on a bounce shot from 12 yards after Madison had executed an impressive stretch of possession that was justly rewarded with the attacker’s third of the night.
Headley tied the game at 5 with less than four minutes remaining in the half, this just after Hayden crafted a fabulous point-blank save on a close-in shot from Ahearn to preserve the one-goal difference at the time.
Miller regained the lead for the Saxons less than a minute later when the senior converted a short pass from senior attacker Jack Lundeen, but Roland put the game on level terms again within 30 seconds. The Warhawk had his initial shot saved, then was quick to intercept Long’s hasty clearing attempt and promptly deposit past the Langley junior for the score.
Cybulski delivered his fourth of the night, and the lead once again for Madison, with a little more than a minute remaining in the first half. The Saxons then came close to tying the game again before halftime but Hayden produced a superb block of a close-in shot from Ahearn at the end of a rapid sequence of crisp passing from Byrne, Bailey and Lundeen.
Spivey came in as replacement for Long at the start of second-half play and was put to work early, blocking one Madison shot that led to a wild scramble just outside the his crease area. The loose ball somehow found its way to the Warhawks’ Bailey lurking for the easy strike, but the sophomore goalie popped up to snare the close-range attempt.
Hayden was soon forced into some difficult saves at the other end on promising shots from Ahearn and senior middie Bryan Clubb, but then could not keep out Scharfen’s unassisted, game-tying bounce shot from 15 yards out midway through the third period. Bailey then saw his rifled offering sail just over Hayden’s cage shortly after the ensuing face-off, which was prelude to Salzer’s strike moments later when Byrne set up the freshman to sling in from 10 yards out giving Langley the 8-7 lead.
The Saxons were unable to carry the lead into the last quarter, and the stage was set for a nervy finish, when Brenyo supplied an equalizer with less than a minute left in the period, firing in after receiving a fine feed pass from Madisons’ Bailey working behind the cage.
The Warhawks grabbed their third lead of the game less than two minutes into the final quarter went Groce furnished his second of the night snapping in high and to the right past Spivey, with an assist from Cybulski. Langley was awarded an extra-man opportunity one minute later but Hayden was equal to the one serious, on-target shot attempt from Bailey the Saxons could muster during their man-advantage.
When Ahearn’s scoring bid hit the pipe about a minute later it looked as though Madison had its Liberty rival solved on this night. But Bennett had other ideas when he managed to gain control in his defensive zone and embarked on an end-to-end run through the scattered Warhawk resistance. The senior longpoleman found just enough space to mount an attack and deliver a cracking goal to tie the game with little more than seven minutes remaining in regulation time.
The Langley goal-scorer was busy again on the wing for the following face-off, which was handily won by Madison’s Jack Rowe. Bennett stifled the senior middie’s rapid move into attack along the sideline, coaxing him out of bounds for the timely turnover. Less than a minute later, the Saxons went on top for good when Bailey recorded his third of the game, this game-winner an unassisted blast at a sharp angle from 10 yards out.
With almost half a quarter of time remaining and down by only one the Warhawks still showed belief and determination. Rowe raced into attack after winning the face-off, and had his sights on setting up a teammate nicely near the crease but the alert Dwyer stepped in at the right moment to intercept the hopeful pass and stifle the assault on Spivey’s goal.
A double man-advantage for Langley with about five minutes to go — this for an illegal check and a conduct infringement on Madison — eased the pressure on the Saxon defenses, but a sustained series of assured passing for ball possession by the Langley offensive corps in the attack zone during the last three minutes of play is what deprived the Warhawks of any real chance of mounting a scoring reply that would have likely pushed the encounter into overtime.
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