A Big Lead Shrinks, but the Bobcats Still Defeat Westlake
in last Saturday’s game.
By Monica D’Ippolito – Judging by the 6-0 halftime score, Saturday afternoon’s lacrosse game between Byram Hills and Westlake seemed all but over.
But the visiting Wildcats bounced back in the third quarter to close within a goal of the lead before the Bobcats were finally able to put the game away in the final 12 minutes and emerge with an 11-6 win.
“We just got into a lull, tightened up a lot,” Bobcats coach James Ardizone said. “The rest of the game we played really loose. “It was a very, very, emotional third quarter and it affected us, and that’s one of those things that we’ve really got to look at and get better at. So we’ve really got to take away from this game that we really can’t have a letdown like that, have a soft moment for that long.”
Byram Hills dominated the first half of play, starting with Jaime Cantu beginning the game by picking up a ground ball in front of the Westlake net and placing it past goalie Brendan Birkelbach.
About three minutes later, the Bobcats capitalized on a Wildcat turnover, getting a goal from Matt Grotta, assisted by Connor Tavio. With just under a minute to play in the quarter, Byram Hills, with a man-up advantage, stretched its lead to 3-0 after one quarter as Reid Jacobs fed Payton Levine for another goal.
Jacobs added another, with Levine soon contributing two more in the second period, which gave Byram Hills a convincing 6-0 lead at halftime.
Westlake’s first-half play was undermined by losing seven consecutive face-offs. By the time the Wildcats finally won one, Byram Hills had built a 5-0 cushion. The Wildcats also lacked quality shots in the first half, only testing Byram goalie Wes Cutler twice over the first 24 minutes.
“A little bit at halftime,” Westlake coach Steve Pesick said of talking about their first-half shot selection. “We wanted them to shoot a little bit more. I didn’t think we took enough shots in the first half. I told them if they had a step on their defender to let it fly.”
In the second half, the Wildcats seemed to show much more life. Starting the third quarter with a goal from Anthony Sardo, Westlake began picking up momentum and went on a 4-0 run to end the third quarter, cutting the Byram lead to 6-4.
Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Sardo found the back of the net once more, taking advantage of a man-advantage to put in the Wildcats’ fifth consecutive goal and cut the Bobcats’ lead to 6-5.
“Just a little more effort, a little more heart from our defense and a little more patience from our offense,” Pesick said of his halftime speech, which sparked his team for the following 12 minutes. “We switched from our zone to man-to-man and the boys showed a little life, and it paid off in the third quarter, but fell a little short in the fourth.”
Unfortunately for Westlake, that was the closest it got as the Bobcats responded with four consecutive goals, scored by Levine, Devon Cummings and Jacobs to put the game out of reach.
“We’re very good in all-in defense and we need to recognize that,” Ardizone said. “We need to make sure to get in the hole and play to our strengths.”
Joseph Ferri added the Wildcats’ final goal with 3:34 left in the game, but Bobcat long-pole Matt Berger capped off a great defensive outing with a goal with just over two minutes remaining in the game to conclude the day’s scoring.
Levine led the Bobcats with five goals, while Cutler finished up with nine saves. For Westlake, Sardo wound up with three goals, while Birkelbach, who kept the Wildcats alive early, made eight of his 11 saves in the first half.
“Brendan has been great all season, so far,” Pesick said. “Very good reaction, good hand speed. You know with the zone, we were confident in him saving those outside shots. Like I said, he’s been good all season for us, so hopefully he keeps it up.”
Examiner Media – Keeping you informed with professionally-reported local news, features, and sports coverage.
