What was supposed to be a home game for the Western Albemarle boys lacrosse team quickly became a road show.
After the Warriors showdown with Salem in the Region II championship was delayed because of severe weather, the two teams scrambled across town to find a place to play before settling on Monticello High.
These two sparred closely in their previous contest, and it was even closer on Friday night with the Warriors scoring the only goal of the fourth quarter to break a tie and take home the Region II title, 6-5.
“I think because we had beaten Salem earlier in the year we looked a little bit past them,” said Western coach Brad Haws. “And then, it’s just odd – we started late, then went from our field to UVa to here – the guys weren’t dialed in (during) warm-ups. But when Salem took the lead we were able to get focused.”
It was truly a back and forth contest as each goal was answered with another, the vast majority of which were scored on long offensive sets and man-up opportunities. At the half, the score was deadlocked at two goals a piece.
Western took the lead on a Christophe Drapanas goal to open up the third quarter but Ian Robertson tied the game back up three minutes later, then struck once more to put Salem out in front.
Moments after surrendering the lead, Owen Wangensteen knotted the game up again with five minutes to play. Both the Warriors and Spartans spent the last half of the third quarter with man-advantage opportunities, but neither squad could come away with anything.
“We got a little sloppy in the third quarter by not taking our best shots,” Haws said. “It was high cranks and we talked about getting it low and in the corners.”
That changed early in the fourth. After missing on a handful of mid-range shots from out in front of the net, Abbot Wallenborn gave Western a 6-5 lead, and that was all the Warriors needed.
“We were a man up and worked the ball around a lot on their defense,” Wallenborn said. “I got the ball at the top of the net and just stuck it on the bottom left corner. I was shooting high earlier and missing a bit so I brought it down a bit. It’s a more accurate shot.”
The fourth quarter was the quietest of all the periods, but the Warriors dominated the time of possession battle as they dug in hard for ground balls and limited their turnovers and locked down the Spartans defensively.
“It’s real nice playing with a group of senior defenders like the ones I have,” said Western goalkeeper Ben Carew. “I never have any pressure on me because those three (Sam DuPont, Christian Pierce and Reed Brannock) are so great. I never have to worry about what I have to do because they’re able to hold the team by themselves.”
Wallenborn and Tyler Ward each finished the game with a pair of goals. Carew earned eight saves on the day.
While the team had already sewn up a state tournament bid on Monday, this victory assures Western of one last home game. The Warriors get a week off before they resume play on June 5 against an opponent to be determined.
