Seahawks Downed by Saxons, 16-5

Submitted by Langley Lacrosse:

A dozen players found net for Langley to get fifth Liberty District win this season

April 14, 2011 — The South Lakes Seahawks travelled to Langley this past Thursday in pursuit of top spot in Liberty District boys lacrosse only to be turned back by a Saxon foe that prevailed comfortably on home soil.

Scoring surges of five and then six consecutive goals in turn during each half of play elevated the hosts to the high ground that was fortress too mighty for the Seahawk assault.

Twelve players got name and number in the Langley half of the scoring ledger, with attackers Mike Adams and Sean Ahearn leading the Saxon pack with four and two goals, respectively, in the 16-5 triumph.

Three Langley attackmen – senior Jack Sandusky, junior Josh Sibio and freshman J T Meyer — provided solo goals, as did seniors Dan Gallucci and Davis Wagner, juniors Hunter Bentz, Spencer Gorham and Clay Rivers, and sophomore Luke Salzer, all from the middie position.

Saxon junior Chandler Suk opened his scoring account for the season when he delivered his one goal of the game nearly half way through the first quarter to break a scoreless tie after the contest’s longest stretch without a goal.

Seahawk attackmen Alex Clough and Harrison Hughes provided two goals apiece to go with one from junior middie Dan Stromecki.

Junior Andrew Spivey and senior Ryan Long shared netminding duties for Langley and were credited with nine and four saves, respectively. South Lakes also relied on a duo of goalkeepers, with Alex Tucker and senior Gerald Goodwin combining for a total of six saves.

With both teams thus far undefeated in district play this season, the mid-season match-up presented a turning point of sorts for the Liberty rivals. Coach Craig Lunde’s Seahawks (6-2 overall, 3-1 in district) could reckon that recent victories over Stone Bridge and Herndon served well as a heartening platform from which to launch further conquests en route to the play-offs. For their part, Coach Earl Brewer’s Saxons (5-1, 5-0) have a district crown to defend, at the same time the desire to expand on a 17-game win streak against all Liberty opponents — and a straight 18 since the last home defeat to a district side, that a loss to W T Woodson in April 2005.

Langley senior Brendan Dwyer stirred the pot moments after the opening face-off when the defender, working as long-stick middie on the wing for the game start, collected the loose ball near the center spot and promptly ventured into attack. His soft shot from eight yards out merely proved though that South Lakes’ Tucker was alert and ready for combat, as the Seahawk junior steered the effort from danger only seconds into the game.

The early scoring bid may have served as warning of things to come for the visitors, but nearly a half period of tentative, even awkward, play by both teams yielded little real momentum and only a handful of shots on goal at each end.

The breakthrough finally came nearly six minutes in when a Salzer pass to Suk enabled the Saxon defender to blast in from eight yards giving Langley a lead it would never relinquish. Salzer then got his own a little more than two minutes later with Rivers setting up his fellow Saxon middie to dispatch from twelve yards out during a man-advantage for Langley.

Saxon defenders were in the mix for the third Langley goal coming only a minute later when Adams finished at the end of a quick counterattack featuring passes by Dwyer and Suk.

The strike by Adams was the first of a straight hat-trick that saw Rivers providing the assist for the junior’s second goal, snapped in from close range near the end of the opening quarter. The third came one minute into the second stanza, and was end product of a sparkling, end-to-end move that started with Dwyer producing a steal in his own defensive zone followed by swift ball movement from the defender to Suk, then on to Ahearn into attack. The junior supplied a decisive pass to the wide-open Adams, who deposited past Tucker for the 5-0 lead.

The deficit for the Seahawks may have been even greater if not for a timely move by South Lakes’ junior defender Harrison Drier, whose key intercept near Tucker’s crease defused a threatening build-up during a Langley man-up situation at the end of the first period.

The visitors mounted their first real fight-back after Adams’ hat-trick, with Hughes picking out the corner of Spivey’s goal from a very sharp angle at close range upon receiving a pass from Clough that set up the Seahawk senior well for the score. The two sides then traded goals – Ahearn getting his first of the game from four yards out and Stromecki replying with an unassisted effort from the same distance.

A quick clearing pass sent Rivers running into attack from midfield to blast past Tucker late in the second quarter, followed by Ahearn’s second of the game, staking the Saxons to a commanding 8-2 advantage at the close of the first half.

The halftime break brought some renewed vigor to the South Lakes to start the second half, at least in the opening stages. Clough rifled in past Spivey from twelve yards out barely 20 seconds from the face-off, with the assist earned by junior Nolan Boyle, who shortly after thought he had netted one himself, but the Seahawk middie’s close-in effort found only side netting.

Langley was in the mood for more goals, and the next six went past a South Lakes goalie. Wagner delivered a six yarder off of an assisting pass from Dwyer, followed by a quick finish from just outside the crease by Sandusky, who acrobatically turned in a re-start pass coming from Ahearn at the end-line behind the cage. Meyer then drilled into the top corner of Tucker’s net with an assist from junior attacker Joey Trippi. Salzer next added another assist for himself setting up Gallucci for a bounce shot that slipped in past Tucker from ten yards.

Gorham greeted the fourth quarter by lashing in from eight yards on what initially looked to be an unlikely scoring chance. Adams followed soon after with his fourth goal of the game, calmly snapping into the net from four yards and giving Sandusky one of his two assists for the game.

The busy South Lakes defenses did not let everything get by. Drier thwarted one promising Saxon foray when he bravely collected the loose ball amidst a fierce scrum and produced a fine clearing run to give his beleaguered side some relief. The defender was also active in the attack half, where he was set up nicely near Spivey’s crease for a possible score but his bid hit the pipe. The lively Seahawk then deflected a cross-crease pass late in the third quarter that had the look of yet another Langley goal in the making.

Goodwin, who had replaced Tucker in the net for South Lakes at the start of the final period, then was able to stifle what appeared to be a sure scoring chance when middie Tom Orme was left alone in front of the Seahawk goalie and given a couple of chances to shoot. The Saxon junior hit the goal frame on his first attempt, then was denied shortly after by the alert Goodwin, who stepped up just in time to disrupt the threat.

With little doubt remaining about the outcome of the 14-3 contest deep in the second half, it remained for the teams to alternate scoring for the remainder of the game. Clough delighted the crowd when the South Lakes senior resorted to a behind-the-back delivery to sneak in past Long, who had entered the game as replacement for Spivey in Langley goal. Bentz advanced on a break to restore the eleven goal margin with a five-yard strike for the Saxons. Hughes then matched his teammate’s pair by getting a second of the game when left alone to slip in low past Long, followed by Sibio’s sustained run around the attack area leading to his firing in from six yards to complete the scoring.

The Saxons have trips to face the McLean Highlanders (3-5, 1-4) and Thomas Jefferson Colonials (4-1, 3-1) to complete the regular season district campaign while the Seahawks look ahead to home clashes against the Colonials, Fairfax Rebels (0-9, 0-5) and Madison Warhawks (4-4, 2-2) to close out the regular season.