'No quit in the team': Sandwich High boys lacrosse team's stellar run ends in state final

WORCESTER — Too little, too late

The Sandwich High boys lacrosse team's comeback effort, which more accurately might be labeled a Tim Souza rally, fell just short on Wednesday in the Division 4 final against Wahconah, 8-7.

Down 8-5 with less than five minutes remaining, Souza started a comeback with his third goal of the day with 4:57 remaining. He tallied his fourth goal with 2:58 remaining.

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"We went down like three or four goals and it just shows how hard we fight," Souza, a senior captain, said. "We didn't fold. We didn't change our game, we just did what we did and came back and that's all you can really ask for."

In the end the comeback attempt wasn't enough. The top-seeded Blue Knights (19-4) had the game-tying goal disallowed after Caleb Richardson was ruled to be in the crease before firing it into the net with 1:58 remaining. That goal would have knotted the game at 8-8, but instead it left Richardson on the ground wondering what if?

"I'm proud of them," Sandwich coach Mike McNeil said postgame. "No quit in the team, they matched effort, and we were fighting hard to the very bitter end."

The game featured plenty of momentum swings. Sandwich jumped out to 2-0 lead and never trailed in the first half.  Sandwich's Matt DiGiacomo tied the game at 4-4 in the third quarter, but the Warriors answered with four consecutive goals.

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The game pitted two high-powered offenses against each other with the Blue Knights coming in averaging 12.5 goals per game, while the Warriors scoring at 19.5. However, in the first quarter defense proved to be the story as the Blue Knights blanked the potent Warriors attack, while only mustering a single goal themselves.

"Our defense are (some) studs," Souza said. "I think they averaged like four goals against all year, so that just shows how good they are."

Sandwich's first goal came just over a minute into the game. After steady possession off the initial faceoff, which was won by Connor Stack, midfielder Kevin Jordan found Richardson in the slot for the game's first goal.

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The Blue Knights kept the Warriors offense sputtering, throughout the first quarter, blocking several shots and even killing a two-man down penalty late in the quarter. Jesse Woodill, Daniel Bader, Will Dykesman and Cameron O'Malley were on the field for that kill along with goalie Shane Corcoran.

Similar to the first quarter, the Blue Knights scored quickly after the start of the second. Souza carved out a little bit of space and sent a shot through traffic in front of goal to find the back of the net.

The Warriors tied the game in a hurry as senior Devin Lampron scored twice in less than a minute to level the score.

Sandwich quickly reestablished the lead after Souza scored his second of the game off a good feed from Richardson.

The Warriors responded once again, sending the game into halftime tied at 3-3. Caden Padelford, drove at the Blue Knights' defense and scored from a tight angle while being fouled.

Padelford was involved in the Warriors first goal of the second half as well, setting up Billy O'Neil for an airborne finish on a one-timer to give the Warriors their first lead of the game.

The back-and-forth scoring continued midway through the third quarter as Matthew DiGiacomo got his stick to a loose ball in front of the Wahconah net and poked it in, tying the game at 4-4.

The same pair of Padleford and O'Neil for the Warriors combined to prove lethal in attack, as they combined for their second assist and goal combination to go up 6-4 in the game.

Wahconah continued to stretch the lead late in the third as Lampron secured his hat trick to make the game 7-4 heading into the final quarter.

After going a man-up due to a penalty in the final seconds of the third quarter, the Blue Knights quickly used it to their advantage. DiGiacomo gave the Blue Knights a lifeline, scoring under a minute into the fourth to pull Sandwich within two.

Straight out of the timeout Lampron got his fourth in the game to put the Warriors back up three.

The Blue Knights will graduate 10 seniors: Woodill (captain), Anthony Kent, Jordan, Souza (captain), Bader (captain), Richardson, DiGiacomo, Aiden Molloy, Patrick Richards, Charles Watters and Kevin Griffin.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Sandwich High boys lacrosse team loses to Wahconah in Division 4 final