Buckley Varsity Lacrosse vs. Rippowam
The Buckley Varsity Lacrosse team headed up to Rippowam yesterday afternoon, took a commanding first half lead, and then held on in the second for a well-earned 7-6 victory. There were many reasons why Buckley should have been sluggish at the start of the game: it was a reschedule; it was the season’s first and only away game; it was on something called “grass.” Nevertheless, the Blue Demons came out flying. Captain Oliver Senbahar played his best half of the season in net, making three crucial saves early and allowing only one goal in. Bolstered by the stellar play of his goalie and defense, captain Addison Davenport got the scoring started for Buckley with two hard bounce shots, assisted by Gage Spolansky and Will Hay. It was Spolansky’s turn next, as he took a feed from ninth-grade midfielder James Flynn and turned the corner on the crease. Davenport completed his hat-trick off a pass from Hay, before Hay closed out the first half scoring with a scorcher of his own to make the score 5-1.
It was a hard-hitting, scrappy game—one in which no lead was safe. And sure enough Rippowam came roaring back in the third quarter, scoring five goals of their own. Luckily, Spolansky was able to roll around his defender and nail the upper corner to keep the game even, before Hay (who was in no mood to lose) dodged through every Rippowam defender and scored to give Buckley a 7-6 lead at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter was all grit. Seventh-grader Colin Bailey manned the goal in relief and shut out the Rippowam shooters, defenders George Coumantaros, Arthur Renehan, Philip Weymouth, and J.D. Wieland silenced the opponent’s attack, and midfielders Hay and Davenport threw their bodies around like warriors. It was a dramatic end of the game, as fearless midfielder Michael Hennessy blocked a shot with his head, allowing Buckley to get possession of the ball and put it safely into the hands of Hay, who ran out the clock to seal the victory.
The Blue Demons continued their success at the face-off, with Austin Sanders, William Truesdell, and Hennessy combining to win 12 of 17. And it was a game where ground balls made the difference, and Buckley grabbed 25, led by Sanders with eight and Truesdell with five.
It was an afternoon of sweet revenge for the veterans on the team, who lost to Rippowam last year handily, but the entire team enjoyed stealing one on the road. Buckley’s epic game week continues with a contest this afternoon against St. Martin on Field #10 at 3:45pm. The team would like to send a special thank you out to all the parents who made the trip up to Bedford.
Game Statistics – Buckley vs. Rippowam, 5/23/2012
Scoring (G-A): Addison Davenport 3-0, Will Hay 2-2, Gage Spolansky 2-2, James Flynn 0-1, Austin Sanders 0-1
Goalie Summary: Oliver Senbahar 24:00 minutes, 6 saves, 6 goals allowed; Colin Bailey 8:00 minutes, 1 save, 0 goal allowed
Shots (Shots-SOG): 20-13
Shots Allowed: 20
Ground Balls: 25
Face-offs (W-L): 12-5
Penalties: 7-7:30
