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Triton back in tourney hunt

Thursday, April, 24 By Evan Mugford
Staff writer

 Optimism and persistence are two key ingredients for winning that can be categorized in a number of different ways.

Not giving up, working hard, correcting faults, trust, and positive thinking will always overwhelm it's counterparts, and in sports, those factors not only raise team spirit and play, but turn around seasons and transform contenders into champions.

Looking to turn that corner, the Triton lacrosse team, which began the season with an auspicious 1-4 record, has ran off three wins in a row over the past week and is now back to .500. A mark they are determined to stay above.

Yesterday, the Vikings beat the winless North Reading Hornets (for the second time in the last six days), 11-2, at Triton Regional, and did so thanks to all-around stellar team play.

The game started off with Triton working the ball around the Hornet goal, but failing to punctuate on some nice passing. With men down on two different occasions, the Viking defense held strong and goalie Carson True (12 saves) stopped the Hornet offense from putting up the game's initial score.

Missed opportunities by the Vikings were mounting up, but at 10:16, co-captain Chris LeSage (3 goals, 5 assists) began the onslaught, and Triton never looked back. The teams traded men down before LeSage | who has been known as a defenseman in hockey | netted his second goal of the quarter with :52 left in the first.

Practically as soon as the second quarter began, a Viking penalty forced man down and the Hornets looked to capitalize. But, as the day would progress, North Reading's troubles catching and passing the ball sealed their own fate.

Some nice passing and ball control helped LeSage find co-captain Paul Bishop (3 goals) at the 6:34 mark for another tally, and then at 1:14, Nick Defrancesco assisted Caleb Woodworth (2 goals) for a sweet, aerial score. The Vikings went into the half leading 4-0.

As the temperature and the sun continued to rise, so did the aggression of the Vikings, and once the third quarter was said and done, all Triton had to do was play catch.

The Vikings were near perfect in the quarter, as they won the large majority of face-offs, out shot their opponents on net, dominated the time of possession with nice passing and a steady tempo, and punished the Hornet offense.

The goals came often in the third, and at 10:01, Woodworth started the rally when he netted one in the crease. Then a minute and a half later, Will Joy found the back of net, and then half a minute after that, LeSage found Bishop for the quarter's third score. That same duo teamed up again at the 5:16 mark, and then thirty seconds after that goal, LeSage eyed Josh Arango. Still not satisfied, Kellen Ryan (1 goal, 1 assist) sought out LeSage for the quarter's sixth goal, and helped push the lead to 10-0.

The fourth witnessed the Vikings playing it too safe, and at 11:16, the Hornets prevented the shutout when Matt Clemens found Brian Ferrazani. The Hornets added another at 2:06 on a solo Patrick Sullivan score, but were too late to make any sort of a comeback.

At 1:08, a Ryan and LeSage exclamation point closed out the contest.

Figuring in on eight of the Viking's 11 scores, LeSage pulled out all the stops and led his team to an important victory.

"It was a good win," said LeSage. "Once we settled down and executed, good things started to happen.

"We played very well defensively, and offensively we were patient and kept control of the ball," explained LeSage. "We're happy we're back to .500, because we knew we had to get there. It's important to win the games were supposed to win."

Triton coach Donna Andersen was happy with the win, but knows her team can play better.

"The game went okay. We played pretty well," said Andersen. "We still struggle with having poise and confidence on the offensive end. When we have the ball and try to settle plays, we tend to get a little anxious, but we're developing it and today was a step in that direction.

"My goalie stepped up today," stated Andersen. "He's starting to learn when to come out and when to put on a little pressure, and he's doing a good job.

"We started off with a tough schedule," explained Andersen. "But lately we've been able to redeem ourselves a bit, and it's going to be a long road, but hopefully we can hang on and finish with a respectable record."