RallyNorth.net

Sun, Jun 01, 2008 05:00 PM @ Neutral Location

Team	Final
Playoff Game Division I - Semifinals
Pinkerton	10
Exeter	7

Pinkerton outduels Exeter, returns to state final for 13th time

Monday, June, 02 By Peter A. Martin
Staff writer

NASHUA, N.H. | Pinkerton Academy is going back to the New Hampshire Division 1 boys lacrosse final after upending Exeter 10-7 at Stellos Stadium yesterday.

"Today everything connected, we were hustling and playing under control," said Pinkerton tri-captain Bobby Dattilo. "Everybody was on the same page and morale was high, we came out firing."

Third-seeded Pinkerton, now 18-3, and Exeter, now 17-3, split their season series, with Pinkerton winning handily at Exeter early in the year, and the Blue Hawks scraping a one-goal win in Derry at the end of the season.

After trading goals in the opening frame, the score was 2-2 when Pinkerton began to take over. Brian Estes, who had five goals for Pinkerton, and Peter Mazzola scored within 30 seconds of each other to open the second quarter and give the Astros a 4-2 lead.

Exeter called a timeout and regained the momentum, scoring on an extra-man opportunity with 3:16 remaining on the clock, but Estes was about to put the game away.

Less than a minute after the Blue Hawk goal, with the Astros on a man advantage, Dattilo found Estes slicing through the middle of the offensive zone to make the score 5-3. Then, with 18.1 seconds left in the half, Jeff Guilherme found Estes again in front for a shot he slapped more than shot to put Pinkerton up 6-3 at the half.

"Towards the end of the year, we had gotten ourselves stagnated," said Pinkerton coach Brian O'Reilly. "But today we did a good job of moving the ball around to different people on offense. I thought we were much more unpredictable."

Pinkerton continued to roll through the second half, opening the scoring with Mazzola slamming home an Estes rebound and culminating with Guilherme's back breaking goal at 1:19 left to play that put Pinkerton up by the final score. On the last goal, Dattilo picked up his third assist.

"Bobby (Dattilo) looks for everyone, you have to slide to him, said O'Reilly of the Hobart-bound midfielder. "He will beat anyone one-on-one and then he is always looking for the open guy, he has his head up all the time and today apparently it was Brian (Estes).

In their only meeting this season, Bishop Guertin downed Pinkerton by a 15-11 score, so Dattilo, Estes and company will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday, but no matter what the outcome, Pinkerton will be ready to play.

"We aren't going to go through the motions and be happy to be there," said O'Reilly. 'This is a program that expects to get to the championship and when you get there you had better play championship caliber.  If we lose Wednesday night we will be hanging our heads | you play the game to win."

Familiar Territory

This will be Pinkerton's 13th trip to the title game in the 15-year history of the tournament. They are 9-3 in finals games. This is the third time Pinkerton and BG have met in the finals in the last four years.