(April 3, 2015) The Stephen Decatur and Kent Island boys’ lacrosse teams went goal-for-goal during Monday’s battle in Berlin, but it was the visiting Buccaneers, the defending 3A/2A state champs, who netted the final shot to win 10-9.
“Going in, we didn’t really know what to expect. We knew we could give them a really good game,” said Decatur Coach Scott Lathroum. “After the fact, I felt we should have won. We know in our hearts we’re capable of beating them.”
Senior captain Matt LeCompte put Decatur on the board three minutes into the game. Kent Island answered 40 seconds later.
LeCompte hit senior captain Corey Gwin cutting to goal and he scored to give the Seahawks a 2-1 lead with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
LeCompte netted a pass from senior Jackson Mumford 29 seconds into the second quarter, providing the Berlin squad with a two-goal cushion.
The Buccaneers tallied three goals in seven minutes to pull ahead 4-3 with 3:39 left in the first half.
Senior Shane Moore evened the score, but Kent Island netted one final shot 43.9 seconds before halftime to go into the break on top 5-4.
LeCompte netted a Gwin pass two and a half minutes into the third quarter and the games was tied 5-5. Less than two minutes later, Kent Island had the lead again.
Senior Jake Lathroum assisted Gwin’s goal at the four-minute mark.
The Buccaneers gained a 7-6 advantage with 1:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Goals by sophomore Steve Alther and LeCompte put Decatur ahead 8-7 with nine minutes on the clock.
Kent Island evened the score two minutes later, but Gwin netted a senior RJ Hayman pass and Decatur took a 9-8 lead with 6:56 left to play.
The Buccaneers netted a goal at the 5:31 mark then took a 10-9 lead with 3:20 remaining. They held the ball in the final minutes to run the clock, securing the victory.
“We were very physical with them. We didn’t execute when we needed to,” Lathroum said. “We got tired at the end and made some mental mistakes. You can’t have that and beat a good team. We can’t wait to play them again.”
Decatur dominated the face-offs. Junior Dryden Brous won 15 of 21 face-offs.
Goalie Will Hastings, a senior captain, stopped 17 Kent Island shots.
“Will had a great game in goal,” Lathroum said.
Decatur’s next game is after spring break, on Wednesday, April 8, against the Easton Warriors at 5:30 p.m. in Berlin.
