Lacrosse: Huskies Gain Steam with Hard-Fought Win

Pat Farrell made what may have been the most impressive save of the year early in the third quarter of a tight matchup with Middleburg Academy when he stretched completely across the goal to stonewall a two-on-one break. A few minutes later, he did it again. So with seven seconds left, and Flint Hill clinging to a one goal lead, it was no surprise the junior got just enough of a laser of a shot from point-blank range to preserve a 9-8 win.

Tyler Lewris and Matt Montagne scored two goals apiece to lead a balanced attack, but it was Farrell who stole the spotlight with 17 saves, each seemingly more difficult than the last.

“He’s been great all year, but today he was phenomenal. He was the difference today,” head coach Andy Rice said.

The victory pushes Flint Hill back to two games over .500 for the second time this year after a 1-2 start. If there was ever a time for the reigning MAC champions to gain some momentum, it’s now. With five games remaining, including what could be equally intense contests with conference rival Potomac School and non-conference foe Paul VI, the Huskies have a chance to lock up a first-round tournament bye for the second straight year.

“We’ve really not had a close game yet,” Rice said. “Some of those tough wins when you play really good teams, you learn from, and to be able to put it together in a game like this really means a lot.”

Before Monday, the Huskies' closest contest was a five-goal decision over O’Connell. Their four other wins all came by at least seven goals, including a 17-3 rout of Bishop Ireton, and four losses had come by an average of 9.9 goals per game.

Lewris opened the scoring with a display of speed and agility as he picked up a ground ball at the top of the box and maneuvered past three defenders for an easy shot, and added his second minutes later on a catch-and-shoot just as a defender reached him. Montagne added his first on an impressive one-on-one move from X to extend the lead to 3-1.

The Huskies were never able to pull away completely though, as Middleburg found an answer every time Flint Hill appeared on the verge of taking control. The Huskies thrived when the tempo was up, something Rice knows his team is capable of with the speed he has at midfield.

“We’ve been trying to do that all year,” he said. “We have some good athletes at midfield. We are better in transition than we are in six on six, so we take some chances, and sometimes it gets a little helter skelter, but that’s when we’re at our best.”

Nick Pisciotta made it 4-2 in the second quarter on a play that looked almost identical to Lewris’ first goal, and after a quick tally by the Dragons, Steven Peterson put the ball in the net on the man advantage after Farrell made an acrobatic save and drew a slash to the head just before halftime for a 5-3 advantage.

Middleburg came out strong in the third quarter though, drawing even less than two minutes in. Lewris’ speed was again a factor as a Dragon defender broke his stick on a desperation check, and the move opened up Pat Shumway allowing the Huskies to retake the lead.

“Even things that don’t lead to goals, but just being able to give him the ball and having him run past all three attackmen and take the pressure off us makes a huge difference,” said Rice of what Lewris does for the offense.

The see-saw continued as the teams traded goals until Montagne struck with 7:14 remaining in the game. Two minutes later, an off-target Nick Peterson pass appeared to be headed out of bounds. But as Middleburg defenders headed upfield, the Huskies kept the ball in and Peterson made a cut to the goal to add what would prove to be the game-winner. Farrell let in a surprisingly soft attempt with 4:14 left, but Flint Hill was able to run most of the clock off before Farrell made his final stop.