By Connor Schneider
Hometown Weekly Contributor
Medfield’s varsity boys lacrosse team underwent something of a rough patch, dropping both of its games on the week. The greatest shock came in the form of a home defeat at the hands of then-#6-ranked Dover-Sherborn on May 18.
It came down to the dying seconds to determine the winner of a Wednesday night game that had both sets of fans leaping from their seats. A nail-biter to the end, the then-#2 Medfield Warriors ultimately succumbed at home with 1.8 seconds left on the clock to the Dover-Sherborn Raiders, ending the game 15-16.
The Medfield boys showed their integrity throughout the match, despite trailing for the majority. After a first quarter lead, the Warriors were forced to play catch-up with the Raiders for the rest of the half, which culminated in a 7-6 lead for Dover-Sherborn. The Raiders scored 5 goals to Medfield’s 3 in the third quarter, widening the gap to 12-9.
Despite their diminishing chances, the Warriors refused to go down without a fight. Trailing by three goals at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Warriors battled their way back to a 15-14 lead with only 5 minutes left in the game. This comeback saw 5 unanswered goals for the Warriors to pull ahead. Unfortunately, a retaliatory goal by Dover-Sherborn tied everything back up with a minute and a half to play.
Winning the next face-off, the Raiders maintained possession, wasting time in the Medfield half while the clock ticked down. Their final surge gifted them the go-ahead goal with 1.8 seconds left on the clock, with Andrew Mahoney cementing their upset win with a final score of 16-15.
Senior John MacLean was a constant threat for the Warriors, scoring 6 of the team’s 15 goals and putting Medfield ahead late in the fourth quarter. His efforts weren’t quite enough, though, largely in part to a dominant performance on Dover-Sherborn’s defensive front. Ross Barnard, goalie for the Raiders, had a great deal to say in Medfield’s loss. Despite the Warrior’s stellar offensive play, he recorded more than 10 saves to keep his team up and prevent Medfield from securing a lead earlier on.
Although the outcome was disappointing, the Medfield boys can hold their heads high. They demonstrated a never-say-die spirit that brought them back into the game when they looked to be out, and almost secured a comeback victory against a difficult opponent. Their loss cannot be attributed to a dramatic mistake or poor play, but rather to a high-spirited performance from their opposition, and their resolve to fight to the end made it a match that could have swung in either direction.
It’s always difficult to lose a game to a close rival, but the loss to the Raiders was made worse by Medfield’s loss two weeks ago to Cohasset and on Saturday, May 21, against BC High. They look to rebound from their three-loss streak in their next matches against Westwood and Bedford, and are now ranked #7 by the Boston Globe.
