NASHUA, N.H. — A perfect regular season does not matter much if you cannot maintain perfection in the postseason.
Previously undefeated and top-seeded Pinkerton boys lacrosse realized that when it lost to No. 2 seed Bishop Guertin 11-8 in the Division 1 title game last night at Stellos Stadium.
“Failed at the end,” Pinkerton senior attacker Jeff Auger said. “We were perfect and then we failed at the end. That’s all that can be said.”
Pinkerton entered yesterday’s title game with a 20-0 record.
“We just weren’t all there tonight,” Auger said. “We didn’t come out as fast as we usually do.”
Bishop Guertin’s defense, which was pressing out, was overwhelming, holding Pinkerton to just two goals in the second half.
“They did an exceptional job of controlling our offense,” Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly said.
Pinkerton’s offense scored 15 or more goals in 14 of its first 20 games and 20 or more goals in five of its first 20 contests this year.
The only other game the Astros were unable to net at least 10 goals this spring was an 8-7 victory over Bishop Guertin on May 16 at Pinkerton.
“I would have not believed that at the end of four quarters that our offense would be held to basically five goals,” O’Reilly said. “Understand that three of our eight goals came from Luke Somers on transition, just coming down and pounding the ball in. ... We scored a man-up goal. So we scored four goals six-on-six for 48 minutes.
“We’ve hung our hat all year long on offense — on our ability to move the ball and rip shots,” O’Reilly added. “And you’ve got to give credit to (Bishop Guertin). ... The shots just didn’t seem to be there. The players weren’t pulling the trigger. They didn’t like the look that they saw. So for that you’ve got to credit their defense.”
The game was tied 6-6 at halftime and 7-7 with 8:00 left in the third period.
Bishop Guertin’s offense then scored three straight goals to grab a 10-7 advantage at the end of three periods.
An early fourth-quarter Bishop Guertin goal made it 11-7.
“We were right with them the whole time,” Somers said. “Both teams have tough defenses. And it just came down to runs. They got that one run there in the second half and they were able to hold it. We let them get a leg up and then it’s easy for them to close the door.
“Usually our offensive guys are the power of the team,” Somers added. “But they (Bishop Guertin) have some good defensemen. They were able to stop our offense, which usually doesn’t happen.”
It should be noted Stellos Stadium, which has a turf surface, is Bishop Guertin’s home field. It also should be noted that Pinkerton plays its home games on grass.
Auger said Bishop Guertin definitely gained an advantage by playing the title game on its home field.
“They play on it every home game and we only play here once, maybe twice a year,” Auger said. “It’s their home field. It’s obviously easier for them. We’re not used to turf. And they’re completely used to it. But it’s something we have to deal with. They have the advantage.”
Bishop Guertin goalie Colin Delea stopped 13 shots.
“He played very good, and stopped a lot,” Auger said. “We didn’t place our shots very well, but he definitely had a good game.”
The Pinkerton defense allowed double digits in goals in only two games this season before yesterday.
“Giving up 11 goals, a lot of that’s transition,” O’Reilly said. “They did a really nice job of catching our midfielders on offense, down and low, and then they were always over our heads and up the field. (It’s) something we work on all the time. All the time. And (it) certainly was preached on the sidelines numerous times to get to the centerline and pick their people up.”
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Boys Lacrosse, 06/08/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
With 28 seconds left in regulation, Conor McCarthy scored an unassisted goal to give Pinkerton an 8-7 victory over defending Division 1 state champion Bishop Guertin 8-7. BG knocked the Astros out of the toruney last season. Pearce Connel added 15 key saves for the winners.
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Boys Lacrosse, 05/16/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
