Saturday’s
lacrosse game between nationally ranked St. Paul’s (#7) and #12 Garden
City (NY), played at Princeton University, was billed as a classic
match-up of Baltimore and Long Island hotbeds. It did not disappoint.
In
a game played by two storied programs, each ranked #2 in their
respective region, at Princeton’s epic Class of ’52 Stadium, both teams
battled into overtime, where St. Paul’s prevailed, 12-11, as Thomas
Galvin netted the game-winning goal.
For St. Paul’s it was
another come-from-behind victory, as it battled back from a 6-3
halftime deficit. The comeback started with six Crusader goals in the
third period, which narrowed the gap to 10-9. St. Paul’s finally
knotted the game at eleven, on an extra-man goal, and then made a
valiant defensive stand to send the game into overtime.
Peter
Smyth dominated the face-offs for St. Paul’s in the second half and he
came up with the ball in the clutch in overtime to give the Crusaders
possession. Galvin took over from there when he sprinted from the
middle of the field and beat the Trojan goalie on a blistering shot to
end the contest. Smyth won 11-of-14 draws in the second half and
scored two goals.
St. Paul’s attackmen D.J. Hessler had two
goals and four assists and Cliff Larkin added three goals and two
assists to pace the Crusader offense. Midfielder Chris Clements picked
up several big ground balls in the second half and fired in his 39th
and 40th goals of the season. Justin Donati also added a goal and an
assist and Galvin scored twice while adding an assist.
Garden
City’s high-scoring attack, led by Dean Gibbons, was held in check by
St. Paul’s defenders Ty Boykin, John Windsor, Scott Matthews and Leks
Gerlak. Gibbons, who scored 100 goals in 2006 to set the Long Island
record for most goals in a season, led the Trojans with three goals and
an assist. St. Paul’s goalkeeper Stu Wheeler had yet another stellar
performance in the cage for the Crusies registering 14 saves. The win
marked the Crusaders sixth one-goal victory, with three coming in
overtime.
St. Paul’s improved its record to 15-2 (7-1 MIAA) and Garden City stands at 10-2 overall (9-1 in Long Island).
St. Paul’s 12, Garden City (NY) 11, OT
Goals:
SP-Larkin 3, Clements 2, Hessler 2, Galvin 2, Smyth 2, Donati 1;
GC-Gibbons 3, Harder 2, Dwyer 2, McDomough, Kennedy, Kutner, Stufaro.
Assists: SP-Hessler 4, Larkin 2, Galvin, Donati, Johnston; GC – Harder 2, Gibbons, McDonough, Kennedy, Kutner, Savage.
Saves: SP-Wheeler 14; GC-McCullogh 8.
Half: Garden City, 6-3.
Regulation: 11-11.
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