by Lem Satterfield
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Randy Forster called what was “probably my eighth or ninth goal” of the season his “best one by far.”
It came with only 12 seconds left in the four-minute overtime of Wednesday’s game at McDonogh, lifting LaSalle of Philadelphia to a 9-8 victory over an Eagles’ team that is ranked fifth in the DigitalSports-Maryland State Lacrosse Coaches Association Top 20.
“They had shorties behind, so my guy was kind of ball-watching on me,” said Forster, a junior, of his lone goal of the game. “So I kind of came across the field while my guy wasn’t looking, and I was open for the shot on the side.”
Peter Schwartz scored two goals and assisted on three others, Conrad Ridgeway and Westy Hopkins scored twice, and freshman Kevin Forster and Tyler Knar scored once each as LaSalle improved to 4-1 and dropped the Eagles to 6-1.
A junior who is strongly considering Penn State, where his brothers, Rob, and Jack, are a junior and a freshman, respectively, Forster’s effort will reverberate in Philadelphia, whose other lacrosse power, Haverford, scored a 7-5 win over defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion, Loyola.
The loss ended a 16-game winning streak by the Dons (4-1), ranked No. 1 in the DigitalSports-Maryland State Lacrosse Coaches’ Association Top 20, as well as No. 1 nationally in STX/Inside Lacrosse High School Poll of the 2008 season.
“Philly lacrosse has gotten much better in the past five or six years.
We beat St. Paul’s last week, 12-4. And I believe Haverford School beat
Loyola today, and we came down here and won in overtime,” said LaSalle coach Bill Leahy.
“It used to be we’d all come down and lose by a goal or two or win
barely, but it looks like the past two weeks, we’ve put on a nice
show,” Leahy said. “Maybe Philly lacrosse is getting there.”
The game was tied at 3-3 at halftime, after which LaSalle led by as much as 8-5 in the fourth quarter. The Eagles stormed back to tie the game, however, when Brian Hess (two goals, one assist) converted with 17 seconds left in regulation.
LaSalle had another chance to win in regulation, but the Eagles’ Princeton-bound Tyler Fiorito, the nation’s No. 1-ranked goalie, recorded his 15th of 16 saves to preserve overtime.
“We made mental mistakes, and they got one. But we have a young team, and sometimes, that’s what happens,” said Leahy, whose squad’s only defeat was by 3-2 against Haverford.
Other contributors for the Eagles were Pat Sartory (one goal, two assists), Tyler Frederick (one goal, one assist), and, with one goal each, Sam Greenberg, Connor Rockerfeller, Brenny Daly and Kyle Rice. Defender KC Woods had an assist for the Eagles.
“Our guys played great. We were down by I think four goals, and we had a great comeback and we put it into overtime with I think 18 seconds left, so you can’t ask for much more,” Fiorito said.
“We were able to get it on offense once or twice, but we couldn’t put it away,” said Fiorito. “They came down and scored with 12 seconds left. Great shot. They had great shooters the entire day.”
In the Loyola game, Haverford’s defense continued its impressive year, having shut down 11th-ranked St. Paul’s, 10-3, as well as LaSalle.
Although Haverford allowed the most goals it has all season against Loyola, it led, 3-1, at halftime, and by as much as 5-1 in the third quarter before the Dons mounted a comeback, led by Virginia-bound Steele Stanwick (two goals, one assist).
Calling Stanwick “an exceptional player — probably the best I’ve seen in the past 10 years,” Haverford coach John Nostrant said his three Division I-bound defenseman “tried to shut off” Stanwick and “deny him the ball” as much as possible.
Nostrant credited Dartmouth-bound possession defender Ben Rossman for shadowing Stanwick, and Bucknell University-bound Doug Emrich and Virginia-bound Peter Borror for their play, as well as goalie Dan Wigrizer (10 saves).
Brendan McGrath and Kurt Watkinson scored twice, with one goal each from Carl Walrath, Stockey Euler and Ben Bourke — all of Haverford, which plays at unbeaten, fourth-ranked Gilman (5-0) at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Although LaSalle plays in the Philadelphia Catholic League, and Haverford participates in the Inter-Academic League of Philadelphia and Vincinity (Inter-Ac), “in lacrosse, we all play together for a true state championship in the end in Pennsylvania,” said Leahy, adding that Downingtown East, a public school, is Pennsylvania’s overall state defending champion.
“Everybody — whether it’s a Jewish school, Christian School or a public school — we all play for the state champion in Hershey, Pa.,” Leahy said. “LaSalle won it in 2004, Haverford in 2005, Malvern Prep won it in 2006 and then Downingtown last year.”
“But this is the last year we’ll do it. Next year, we will go to the Maryland system of public and private,” Leahy said. “We’ll be considered a public school, so we’ll play in the public schools state championship.”
LaSalle 9, McDonogh 8, OT
Goals: L- Ridgeway 2, Hopkins 2, Schwartz 2, R. Forster, K. Forster, Knarr. M- Hess 2, Sartory, Greenberg, Frederick, Rockerfeller, Daly, Rice. Assists: L- Schwartz 3, Wells. M- Hess, Frederick, Woods. Saves: L- Amato 8. M- Fiorito 16.
Half: 3-3
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