RallyNorth.net

Tue, Apr 15, 2008 04:00 PM @ Newburyport

Team	Final
Pentucket	8
Newburyport	13

Clippers edge Pentucket in CAL showdown

Wednesday, April, 16 By Evan Mugford
Staff writer

In a Cape Ann League that is run by a pair of lacrosse powerhouses in North Andover and Masconomet, the River Rival teams are all aware that the remainder of the schedule is wide open, and that on any given day, any one team could beat the other.

Newburyport coach Ed Gaudiano knows this, and from the way his team played and controlled yesterday's matchup with Division 2 rival Pentucket (2-3), the Clippers are poised to gain some headway in the CAL.

The Clippers beat the Sachems, 13-8, in a game Pentucket coach Geoff Beckett would like to bury and forget. Though both teams didn't play to their full capabilities, it was the Sachems who made more errors and just looked out of place.

The game started off slowly, with both the Clippers and Sachems attempting to clear out the cobwebs. Passes were over- and under-thrown, multiple ground balls were lost and a few careless offside penalties had coaches from each team befuddled.

At the 6:04 mark, Newburyport broke the scoreless stalemate and punched a goal past Pentucket's Alex Roberts (13 saves). Then at 4:25, Clippers freshman sniper Andrew Sokol (6 goals) found the net for the second time and pushed a suddenly breathing Newburyport club ahead, 2-0.

The Clippers' elation was short-lived, however, as the Sachems found life and helped ebb the Newburyport flow. Greg Rotondo and Kevin Dunn each found space beyond Clipper netminder Dean Cataldo (16 saves). Newburyport still seemed the crisper of both teams, and goals by Sam Melanson (2 goals, 2 assists) and Corey Ruane (2 goals, 1 assist) helped the home team to a 4-2 lead after one.

The second quarter was arguably the most exciting of the game as both teams attacked the net with reckless abandon.

A Clipper goal at the 6:29 mark by Kirk Dillon (1 goal, 1 assist) started everything off, but answering back for Pentucket at 5:47 was Matt Green. The Clippers scored next thanks to another Sokol shot, and then again at 4:13 when Ethan Machurat (2 goals) found some daylight. Pentucket notched the next two goals, one at 4:02 by Ben Stasiuk (2 goals) and then the next at 3:39 by Josh Hinds (2 goals), but the Clippers had the last laugh of the half when Sokol netted one more with 2:08 to go. The Clippers went into the half leading, 8-5.

Though Pentucket's Hinds scored the first goal of the half at the 7:47 mark, the third quarter was the beginning of the end for Pentucket as the Clippers scored another four goals to the Sachems' two. Ruane scored at 8:29, Sokol at 3:10, Melanson at 2:06 and then the last Newburyport goal of the quarter was by Machurat at 1:35. Thanks to a hefty Clippers time of possession advantage, opportunities were limited for the Sachems. Pentucket managed one more goal when Alex Connolly scored at 5:27.

Going into the fourth, the score was 12-7.

Not needing to do much more than kill clock and play solid defense, the Clippers sealed the game by doing just that. Pentucket's Stasiuk added another goal at 5:48, and an errant Sokol pass went sailing into an empty net for the game's last Newburyport goal.

Sokol, who is leading the Clippers in points, knows that his team plays best when they're patient.

"We've been working a lot on trying not to turn the ball over as much," Sokol said. "I have to give my credit to my teammates. They looked for me and I just tried to deliver.

"Our goal is to win the bracket," said Sokol. "It was a league game today, and this win should certainly boost our hopes."

Gaudiano was content with the win and how the weather is finally permitting some playing time.

"It's kind of hard when the weather backs up all these games and we don't have a chance to practice," said Gaudiano. "But I think we've been improving game by game, and it's almost as if we're playing to get better rather than practicing to get better.

"I think we played a lot harder today," said Gaudiano. "We definitely threw and caught the ball better, there were less balls on the ground, and we kept possession a little bit more."