Pick up big league win over Burlington, 11-7
Published in the April 25, 2018 edition
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — Yesterday’s game against Burlington at Landrigan Field officially propelled the WMHS boys’ lacrosse team into the second half of the season. Most good teams will tell you the biggest game of the season is the next one, but in this case it really felt like it.
Wakefield (4-5) needed a win, not just to improve their record which is under .500 after a tough non-conference schedule, but also because this was the first of only five games against Freedom Division foes.
The Warriors responded by scoring the first two goals of the game to set the tone and took control in the second half, outscoring the Red Devils 6-4 to rack up an 11-7 victory.
CAM SOUZA holds his ground against a Burlington attacker. Also pictured is Mike Petitto (5), Dan Cataldo (2) and Ryan Chambers (1). (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
It wasn’t the prettiest game, but Wakefield’s senior leaders weren’t about to let this opportunity during a beautiful day on their home field slip away.
“It was sloppy on the offensive side and sloppy on the defensive side,” said Wakefield head coach Andrew Lavalle. “But we get these wins because of guys like Ryan Fitzpatrick and guys like Ryan Chambers who can step up in these big situations.”
Wakefield’s Tyler Drago got the first goal just 49 seconds into the game when he made a run from behind the Burlington net and buried a close shot. Drago followed that up about three minutes later when he found Mason Brennan in front who converted for a quick 2-0 lead.
The Warriors responded after a Red Devils’ goal made it 2-1. Thomas Harrington, who was solid all game in the midfield, made the play to get it into the offensive zone and fed Brennan who connected with Alex Joly to help the senior attackman score his first of three goals on the day.
The first quarter ended 3-1. It was an excellent start, most notably for the defense.
Wakefield got the first two of the second frame. Luke DiMella ripped one home with 9:20 left after a nice possession where the Warriors were in complete control.
Robert Guida had a left-handed laser about two minutes later to give Wakefield a 5-1 advantage. Burlington, also sensing the importance of the first Freedom game, would battle back and cut the lead to 5-3 at halftime.
In a game featuring plenty of ebbs and flows, the Warriors seized momentum to start the third. Chambers made it clear to his teammates that Burlington wasn’t about to get the first one. He made two quick saves to start the quarter and after Wakefield controlled possession for much of the first four minutes, Brennan made another nice pass, this time to Guida who made it 6-3 with 7:44 left in the third.
Drago stepped up again about 90 seconds later when he recovered a loose ball in front of the Red Devils’ net and converted for a 7-3 lead. Somebody on the Wakefield O could be heard calling for an apple in the stat sheet, but Drago’s goal was unassisted, even though the Warriors were moving the ball well during the possession.
Once again, it was Burlington’s turn to respond and they came back with two straight goals to make it 7-5 at the end of the third quarter, but Wakefield would get the first three of the fourth to more or less salt it away.
Middie Mike Lucey made the play on goal number 8, but it was Joly who finished it off. Joly got the next one again for Wakefield when he ripped one top shelf after a nice dime from Dan Kerrigan. A goal from Fitzpatrick on a bounce shot made it 10-5 with just under three minutes left. Guida got the last one for Wakefield.
In the end, while there will certainly be room for improvement, it’s evident that the Warriors, and especially the young guys being asked to step up, are starting to find their stride and get more comfortable.
Chambers finished the game with 11 saves and Fitzpatrick was a force in all three zones, but it’s their leadership that Lavalle and assistant coach Dan Flynn value the most, especially for a defense who has a lot of talent from the likes of sophomore Cam Souza and freshmen Mike and Matt Petitto, but are young and still learning.
“Our D is good, but they’re young, so it’s nice to have some senior leadership to get everybody checked up and to the right spots,” said Lavalle. “There were a couple times where Fitz was out on the sideline and he calls out every single person on the field and tells them exactly where their slides are and exactly where they’re supposed to be. When you have another coach on the field like that, I can’t say enough how helpful that is. They’re hearing it from the coaches but they’re also hearing it from our leaders as well which is huge.”
Speaking of huge, the win over the 5-5 Red Devils could accurately be described as just that. Freedom opponents, Stoneham (2-3), Wilmington (1-3) and Watertown (2-4) are off to slow starts, so beating Burlington was big. Melrose is 8-0 to start the year. The Warriors will get a shot at their rivals on May 15 on the road.
For now, Wakefield will get back to work and get ready to travel to Watertown on Friday.
