Submitted by Langley Lacrosse:
June 8, 2011: The Langley Saxons engraved another entry into the cornerstone that is their expanding lacrosse tradition with a gutsy, 10-7 come-from-behind triumph over a battling Annandale Atoms squad in a VHSL state play-off semi-final battle at Westfield High School in Chantilly on Wednesday. Langley attackman Mike Adams delivered a robust six goals, but the standout performance in the sweltering, late afternoon heat was a resilient Saxon defense subduing a lively Atomic strike force that only two weeks earlier had shredded the Langley rearguard in a 7-1 first-quarter ambush on the way to an emphatic, 12-8 Northern Region tournament semi-final victory for Annandale.
The half-time coach talk in the latest clash — from Head Coach Earl Brewer and defensive coach T.J. Doremus — proved an effective tonic, as the Saxons this time proceeded to hold their opponent to one goal from that point forward, overcame a three-goal deficit from the start of the third quarter and treated the Atoms to a 7-1 second-half shakedown that earned Langley a place in the state final for the third time in as many years.
Attackers Sean Ahearn and J. T. Meyer, and middie Clay Rivers, joined Adams in the scoring column, with Ahearn providing a pair to go with single goals from Rivers and Meyer. Annandale senior Nick Lalande had a hat-trick while seniors Stephen Craig, Peter Hagen and Nathan Miller, and junior Andrew Risse, scored one each.
Goalies at both ends — junior Andrew Spivey for the Saxons and sophomore Joe Bermingham for the Atoms — were kept busy throughout the proceedings and were credited with 12 and 11 saves, respectively. Langley face-off middie Spencer Gorham commanded the center spot claiming the bulk of possession in the game, crucially during the late-game goal surge by the Saxons.
The Northern Region second-seed Atoms (16-4) had claimed their spot in this state semi-final with a 13-8 road win against the Region AA first seed E.C. Glass Hilltoppers (18-2) in Lynchburg on Saturday, while Northern Region third-seed Langley (18-3) needed a second extra period to slip by the Northwest Region first-seed Battlefield Bobcats (16-3) in a 6-5 overtime win in Haymarket on Friday.
But the contest lingering on the minds of the two combatants on Wednesday was perhaps the recent region semi-final that saw Head Coach Bill Magiscleau’s Annandale boys exploit their attacking prowess to secure a berth in the state play-offs at the expense of the current titleholders, who managed a few days later to grab the last state play-off slot available to the Northern Region with a consolation game win over West Springfield.
Wednesday’s encounter looked to be shaping up the way the prior game between the two sides had unfolded — from early consecutive strikes by the Atoms leading up to a 6-3 lead at half-time, and 7-4 margin very early in the second-half nearly identical to the 8-4 Annandale advantage at half-time in late May.
But a six-goal run and shutout defense for all but the first minute of the second half paved the way for Saxons to finish in comprehensive form. Langley erased a three-goal deficit late in a span of only 88 seconds late in the third quarter. Adams began his work on a second hat-trick when he twisted his way to an unassisted shot and score from just outside the crease after junior defender Nick Rifken mounted a vital clearing run at the start of the build-up. Rivers followed with an overhand strike after the junior dodged and ran to a shooting position from five yards out for the unassisted score. Ahearn then muscled his way against his defensive marker to gain a shooting angle from four yards out to level the score at 7-7.
Adams resumed the assault early in the final quarter at the end of a superb passing sequence, from Meyer to senior attacker Jack Sandusky, then on to Ahearn for the assisting pass on the goal giving Langley the lead, its first against the Atoms in a little more than seven periods of play this year.
Saxon junior Hunter Bentz slipped the ball past Bermingham into the net three minutes later but the middie was cited for a crease violation, which nullified the goal. The ninth did arrive for Langley, just after the Atom goalie appeared to have disrupted Ahearn’s feed-in pass to Meyer lurking near the crease, but the Saxon freshman was quickest to control and deposit into the cage for the two-goal lead. Adams then closed out his second hat-trick of the day when his six-yard shot less than three minutes before the final horn was deflected on its way to the cage and past the embattled Annandale goalie for an insurance goal with an assist for Sandusky.
Opening-quarter strikes from Craig and Lalande — each unleashing unassisted, close-in bounce shots out of unsettled play — staked the Atoms to an early, deserved lead. Langley had its first real chance ring off the cage pipe in the early going, then a 10-yard bid from senior middie Dan Gallucci that was easily saved by Bermingham.
Annandale looked to be getting its full stride when it was awarded a one-minute man-advantage shortly after Lalande’s goal, but a timely interception by sophomore defender Robbie Byrne reduced the danger for the Saxons. Langley senior Davis Wagner then made the cut at the right time to get his bounce shot from three yards on goal at the other end but the Atom netminder was ready for the stop.
Bermingham had to be more alert to parry a crease-side attempt by Adams right as the horn signaled the end of the first period. The Saxon junior was more successful at the very start of second-quarter play when he collected the ball that had dribbled out of the scrum just after the face-off and rifled into the net from distance to cut the early Atom lead in half.
Annandale responded with a three-goal burst during a stretch of play when unforced errors by Langley set up the Atoms well for scoring chances. Risse pitched in past Spivey from six yards after the middie was set up nicely by senior middie Andy Craig. Hagen then advanced along the sideline near midfield and into attack, with the longpole defender snapping a bounce shot in past Spivey from eight yards, followed a minute later by Miller’s low shot drilled in from ten yards that eluded the Saxon goalie and earned an assist for Annandale sophomore attacker James Terrell.
Spivey was needed for a save shortly after the ensuing face-off, and with that a transition, some unsettled play at midfield, then a three-pass sequence that had Adams feeding Ahearn for the finish and a 5-2 score-line. Lalande then got his second goal of the game that restored the four-goal lead. A Langley turnover gave the Atoms momentum in yet another transition sequence that culminated in the Annandale middie gathering the loose ball near the crease and dispatching past Spivey from four yards.
But a slash infraction gave the Saxons a man-advantage with about 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter, and in a matter of a few seconds from the re-start Ahearn had supplied Adams the ball for the swift, man-up strike that cut the Atoms’ lead down to three at the close of the first half.
Annandale junior attacker Ryan Miller had the first say to start the second half but his effort from seven yards went wide of net. A subsequent turnover in the midfield area soon after gave Ahearn another opportunity to set up his strike partner Adams, who was allowed to venture in alone against Bermingham and dispatch into the net to complete a hat-trick.
The Atoms were quick to recover the three-goal margin though when Lalande struck at the end of a crisp, three-pass tic-tac-toe play that had attacker Craig and sophomore middie Zack Lalande setting up the older Lalande brother for the four-yard score and the final third of a hat-trick for his efforts.
But that was the last of the entries into the Annandale side of the scoring ledger. Langley defenses contained the Atoms’ attacking options from that point, with Byrne, senior Brenden Dwyer, junior Chandler Suk and sophomore Brad Dotson securing their defensive zone, and Spivey furnishing the solid last line of resistance, to help send the Saxons to another state final.
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