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By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
Senior captain Mike Hauptman cuts from X and takes the ball to the cage. Photo by Denise DePiero.
One of the top boys lacrosse rivalries in the state of Massachusetts, Medfield vs. Dover-Sherborn, wrote its latest chapter on Friday afternoon, as the Warriors and Raiders got together for their lone meeting of the 2019 season.
Despite the return of star sophomore attack-man Pierce Gregory (one goal, three assists), it was not enough for DS, as six goals and a pair of assists from junior attack-man Jack McCordic helped Medfield to a big 12-9 victory over their arch rivals.
Ford Pegram gave DS a 1-0 lead with 9:07 to play in the opening quarter. Brian Abely knotted the game at one just 50 seconds later off of a feed from Jimmy Cosolito. Mike Hauptman then gave Medfield its first lead via a lefty bouncer with 8:07 remaining.
Pierce Gregory tied the game at two with 6:17 remaining before Hauptman’s second on a drive to the crease put the Warriors back ahead at 3-2 with 5:20 to play. Tommy Gill made it a 4-2 game before Matt Paolatto won the ensuing draw and scored off the rush. The game entered the second quarter with Medfield clinging to a one-goal lead at 4-3.
McCordic made it a 5-3 game with 8:20 to play in the half off a feed from Mike Tyer. Abely extended the lead to 6-3 off of a feed from Jake Sherman with 6:40 remaining, but Timmy Polk responded with a lefty rip to make it 6-4 with 5:29 to play. Back-to-back goals from McCordic made it an 8-4 game with a little over two minutes to play, but Polk’s own back-to-back cut the deficit to 8-6 for DS at halftime.
A pair from McCordic to begin the second half made it a 10-6 lead for Medfield. Goals from Polk and Henry Kenney made it a 10-8 game. Medfield took an 11-9 lead into the fourth before Sherman made it a 12-9 game with 6:13 remaining off a drive and finish from X. Medfield’s stifling defense, led by junior All-American John Schofield, shut down DS for the rest of the game and allowed the Warriors to prevail by the three-goal final.
Connor DePiero (8) scoops a groundball off of a face-off with Dover-Sherborn’s Matt Paolatto hot in pursuit. Photo by Denise DePiero.
“Its always good playing DS,” said Medfield head coach John Isaf on the win. “They’re a rivalry game, next-door neighbor, the guys always get up to play these guys and they are a good team. We want these types of challenges throughout the course of the season. The TVL is tough and it’s always one game at a time. Good win for us. We showed some toughness in the fourth quarter. They forced some mistakes on our part - that’s what good teams do to you. Fortunately, we were tough enough to kind of make it happen in the fourth quarter.”
For funny and incisive sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter at @fLAno0.
