Published May 12, 2021
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
LYNNFIELD — The first game in two years was a memorable one for the Lynnfield High boys’ lacrosse team.
Lynnfield hosted rival North Reading on a sunny, Monday afternoon at Pioneer Stadium. The hosts broke a 1-1 tie in the middle of the first quarter and never looked back, cruising to an 8-3 halftime lead and an eventual 10-5 victory to kick off the season.
The Pioneer attack was led by senior Myles McKay (2 goals, 3 assist) and sophomore Drew Damiani (4 goals, 1 assist).
Meanwhile, the defense and middies held steady and won multiple battles in the D zone and the midfield to set up their offense for success. Sophomores Bryce Kay and Steven Dreher each scooped up five ground balls while junior Rupert Thomas, senior Michael Dreher, sophomore Jack Calichman, sophomore James Sharkey and senior DJ Capachietti all played good defense in front of senior goalie Nik Marotta who tallied six saves in the win.
Calichman also picked up two goals and an assist while senior John Briggs and junior Janssen Sperling each had a goal.
McKay got Lynnfield on the board early with a spin and rip from in front. North Reading tied it up with 3:35 left in the first before the Pioneers exploded for three goals in the final three minutes to reclaim the lead.
Damiani got his first when he picked off the North Reading goalie and fought through contact before finishing on an open net. Soon after, Steven Dreher broke into the offensive zone and found Damiani with a nice pass before the sophomore finished low to make it 3-1.
Damiani concluded a first quarter hat trick thanks to the play of the game from McKay who hammered the stick out of the hands of a Hornet defender on a physical ride, scooped up the loose ball and led Damiani into space with a perfect pass for a one-on-one chance with the goalie that Damiani buried.
Lynnfield’s defense closed the quarter strong and the offense stayed in a groove to start the second when Calichman dodged and fired in a righty shot to make it 5-1 with 10 minutes left in the half.
Marotta had half of his saves in the second quarter alone as he preserved the lead and momentum for the home team. The Hornets finally broke through to make it 5-2 but McKay got that one back on a nasty dodge from behind the net, planting his cut foot and burning a defender before a lefty finish.
North Reading seemed ready to match goals as they picked up one more after that but Lynnfield finished the quarter with a goal each from Calichman and McKay, both on runs that started behind the NR net to make it 8-3.
The Pioneers dominated possession in a third quarter that all but sealed the victory as the offense burned the clock while adding two more to the scoreboard. Briggs found space on the right side after a long possession and scored to make it 9-3 and Calichman found Damiani who finished from a bad angle on a low shot to make it 10-3.
The Hornets won the fourth quarter 2-0, but Lynnfield again kept their focus on keeping the ball, eventually running down the clock much to the delight of their families in the stands who finally got a chance to cheer on their team again.
The Pioneers will look to keep it going on Thursday when they travel to Triton at 3:45 p.m. They host Hamilton-Wenham on Tuesday at 4:45 p.m.
