ELITE DIVISION NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP - DICK'S SPORTING GOODS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS '09
(January 05, 2009)
by Josh Gross
With four teams remaining in the Toyota Championship Bracket as games began on Sunday morning, familiar faces and team names donned the official scoreboard: Edge (Jr.), the New Westminster Salmonbellies, and Team HeadStrong. All three programs had reached the semifinals a year ago. The fourth semifinalist, Maryland Lacrosse Club (MLC), competing in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions for the first time, had yet to be put to the test entering the final four.
MLC jumped out to an early lead against Edge, and never looked back. Seven different MLC players scored goals in the team’s 13-5 victory over Edge, as the team punched its ticket into the elite division Toyota National Champion game. MLC junior defenseman Tripp Trainor was named Toyota Player of the Game.
The other semifinal, featuring Team HeadStrong and New West (defending national champions), was a rematch of last year’s national championship game. Tied 3-3 at halftime, New Westminster scored five straight goals to take an 8-3 lead with 12:32 remaining in the game.
Neither team scored for the next seven minutes until HeadStrong senior midfielder Rocco Piliero buried one in the back of the net on the man advantage. Two goals in the next two minutes trimmed New Westminster’s lead to 8-6, and HeadStrong middie Paul Mita’s unassisted goal with 1:02 remaining cut the margin to just one.
Team HeadStrong won the ensuing face-off. But, with time winding down, New Westminster forced a HeadStrong turnover and held on for an 8-7 victory.
Hundreds lined Toyota Championship Field 1 for the much-anticipated national final, but no one could predict the game would end as it did.
MLC got on the board just 55 seconds into the game, as midfielder Philip Castronova fed fellow middie Patrick Fanshaw. Fanshaw put one past New Westminster senior goalie Michael Pecchia, giving Maryland Lacrosse a 1-0 lead.
Eight minutes and thirty-six seconds later, New Westminster tied it up at one as senior Reid Mydske scored the Salmonbellies’ first goal of the game. Mydske’s goal was assisted by fellow senior Tyler Digby.
After teams exchanged goals in the next six minutes (tallies by Castronova and New Westminster’s Brandon Goodwin), Maryland Lacrosse Club senior attackman Connor English’s unassisted goal 17:34 into the first half put the American squad up by a goal. Three minutes later, junior attackman Jack Matthews’ goal (assist from junior midfielder Zach Linkous) gave MLC its first two-goal cushion of the game, 4-2.
As play resumed in the second half, English’s second goal of the game gave MLC a three-goal advantage, 5-2, its largest of the game.
New Westminster senior Matthew Dinsdale ended MLC’s three-goal run with an unassisted score 3:38 into the second half. But MLC answered right back, as senior defenseman Harry Prevas took a pass from senior attackman Kyle Williams and scored his first goal of the Toyota Championship Game, restoring MLC’s lead back to three.
That’s when the Salmonbellies came alive. Three straight goals by New Westminster (Digby from senior Robert Church at 11:20, Goodwin from Digby at 13:40, and senior Richard Lachlan unassisted at 15:21) tied the game up at six with less than ten minutes remaining.
New Westminster took its first lead of the game, 7-6, 84 seconds later when senior Kevin Schoemaker got in the box score on a feed from Lachlan. But MLC was unfazed. At 19:20, English’s third goal tied the score at seven, the fourth tie of the game.
With 1:02 remaining on the clock, New Westminster head coach Jarret Bradley called a timeout.
“We had a play set up,” said Goodwin. “It didn’t seem to work out.”
As the defending champs held for a last shot, Goodwin knew he needed to take control. With nine seconds remaining in regulation, the senior beat MLC senior goalie Conor McGee with a blast from outside for what surely seemed to be the game-winner.
“[Goodwin] stepped up and put the ball in the back of the net,” said Bradley.
MLC won the ensuing draw, got in the offensive zone, but couldn’t score the equalizer as the final horn sounded. With the victory, the Salmonbellies became the first team to repeat as national champions, and the first to win back-to-back titles.
Coach Bradley credits the experience players gained from last year’s championship in this year’s victory.
“The guys that came back knew what it would take to win.”
But still, the team admits it wasn’t easy.
“I found this one was a lot tougher, being the first to repeat as national champions,” said Goodwin, who was named Toyota Player of the Game for this three-goal performance, including the game-winner.
“The odds of a team repeating in a 27-team draw is not very good,” admitted Bradley.
And as for the chances of winning again next year?
“We’ll see,” said the head coach.
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