It was the Woodberry Forest lacrosse team’s first huge test of the year.
The Tigers passed with flying colors, beating Norfolk Academy 11-8 Friday afternoon.
“This was a game for us where, not to take anything away from the teams we’ve already played, but where we got pushed and challenged at different levels,” said Woodberry coach Brian Hemming. “Those are experiences we haven’t had yet. I told the guys, it’s only going to get tougher from here.”
The Bulldogs had already beaten St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes earlier this year in overtime, and they gave Woodberry all it could handle with an early two-goal lead and a 6-6 tie-game at the half, both first-time experiences for this year’s edition of the Tigers. But Woodberry didn’t rattle, reeling off five second half goals while the Tigers’ defense clamped down and held Norfolk Academy to just a single goal for the bulk of the second half.
A big part of that defensive effort was first-year starter at goalie Taulford Wharton, who has settled in nicely for the Tigers behind a seasoned defense that includes Vance Spilman and J.P. Connell.
“You get a sense of security, it’s definitely nice,” Wharton said. “It’s a comfortable spot to be in.”
Wharton had 13 saves against an electric Norfolk Academy offense that includes Naval Academy-bound Ryan Wade. Several of those came at point-blank range as Wharton flashed a high end knack for shot-stopping, which is partially a product of playing behind that high-caliber group of defenders.
“It’s kind of like football, if you’ve got a young quarterback you want to have an awesome offensive line,” Hemming said. “You look at the guys in front of him, they’re big they’re fast, they’re athletic. They’ve been two, three or four year starters. They know the kind of shots we want to give up. This is a great situation for (Wharton).”
Wade managed three goals but the Tigers throttled most of the rest of the Bulldogs’ offensive standouts. On the offensive end, Woodberry was as balanced as any team could hope to be with five players scoring two goals apiece. James Hewell, Jack Whitworth, Tiger Ripley, Todd Fedyck and Pat Shea scored a pair of goals each, with Nick Bierman scoring one to round out the scoring. Shea proved a capable creator as well with a trio of assists while Whitworth and Fedyck also dished out two each.
Wylie Mendicino’s work on the faceoff proved critical as well as he won 15 of 23 chances on the day including a dominating stretch late in the first half that stretched into the third quarter that allowed the Tigers to take control.
“Wylie has become a student of the game,” Hemming said. “Last year, I thought he did a good job, but I think he was still trying to figure out the game a little bit. Now he’s become a master of his craft. After football practice in the fall he’ll be out here on the line practicing his move and after indoor track he’ll go off in the corner and hone his craft. I think that’s awesome to see a young person be that excited about something.”
Robbie Berndt managed four assists and a goal for the Bulldogs, but Norfolk Academy couldn’t overcome that early third quarter surge that boosted Woodberry to a 10-7 lead at the end of that frame.
