YARMOUTH — Time was on third-seeded Yarmouth’s side Friday night entering the fourth quarter of a Class B boys’ lacrosse quarterfinal.
Momentum, however, was with sixth-ranked York. Down by nine goals midway through the third, the Wildcats scored three straight by the end of the quarter.
But Yarmouth stayed composed and got the job done, winning 17-10 to advance to the semifinals against No. 2 Brunswick or No. 7 Mt. Ararat.
Yarmouth’s Anders Corey looks for room between York defenders Thomas Beecher, left, and Oscar Kwok.
“One of the great things about lacrosse is that it’s a game of streaks and momentum,” Yarmouth Coach David Pearl said. “When momentum was swinging their way and a couple of their players were starting to feel some more energy, we of course had to buckle down.”
The Wildcats (8-5) came alive with five minutes left in the third when Will Masterson scored. Collin Edminster (three goals) and Mark Engholm (four goals) had the next two for York to enter the fourth down 14-8.
“As games get out of hand, teams will fold up shop and you start to see games turn into 15-point blowouts,” York Coach Garrett McLean said. “I was really proud of the way our boys responded. We fought until the final whistle.”
Silas Chappell snapped York’s run 3:22 into the fourth following a forced turnover. Michael Guertler – a defender who finished with three goals for Yarmouth – scored a minute later to pull the game further out of York’s reach.
Yarmouth’s Joe Truesdale gains ground as York’s Miles Pavuk stumbles.
“That kind of took a little bit of wind out of our sails,” McLean said. “We had to build back up to get to the point where we started rallying. But it was too late.”
The Clippers got goals from six players, with Anders Corey scoring five and Cooper May four.
“We just started to force it a little too much. We got a little antsy,” Corey said of York’s third-quarter run. “We just needed to calm down, and that’s what we did in the fourth quarter.”
Yarmouth (9-4) never trailed, outscoring York 6-2 in the first quarter and 4-2 in the second.
Corey kicked off the scoring 43 seconds into the game after the Clippers won the opening faceoff. Engholm answered 1:17 later to tie the score before a pair of Gavin Hamm goals put Yarmouth up 3-1.
Yarmouth goalkeeper Spencer King makes the save as York’s Mark Engholm takes a flying shot.
Edminster cut the Clippers’ lead to 3-2, tucking his shot just under the crossbar with 4:37 left in the first quarter. Yarmouth responded with a run that extended into the second quarter, with May scoring four of the Clippers’ six straight goals.
“The defense prides itself on being pretty hard-nosed, so credit to York for scoring 10 goals,” Pearl said. “That’s the only time this season a team has scored 10 goals on us. … They showed a lot of heart.”
Joe Truesdale also contributed two goals for Yarmouth – with Hamm assisting on one of Truesdale’s in the third quarter, which he scored from behind his back.
The Clippers’ win snapped a three-game losing streak – the last two decided in overtime.
“Those games are behind us,” May said. “The postseason is a new season and we’re focused on this one.”
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