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STAB boys lacrosse falls to Norfolk Academy

Photo by Bart Isley

St. Anne’s-Belfield boys lacrosse’s challenging schedule allows for the fact that they’re going to drop some games, but the heartbreakers are starting to pile up.

 

Friday the Saints lost a second-straight one-goal game to a VISAA Division I opponent, falling 15-14 to Norfolk Academy at home as STAB couldn’t fend off a late charge by the Bulldogs after taking a 12-11 lead early in the fourth quarter and then a 14-13 advantage with 5:01 to play.

 

Hat tricks from Kyle Mele, William Inderlied and Leif Smith powered the Bulldogs, with Smith also dishing out three assists.

 

With 1:24 to play, Inderlind scored what held up as a the game-winner as STAB drew a penalty in the final minute while trying desperately to create a turnover.

 

Norfolk Academy benefited from a 20-11 advantage on the faceoff, but turnovers also piled up for the Saints at seemingly critical junctures.

 

STAB’s Trent Moran finished with four goals on the night, with three straight coming near the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth to push STAB to that 12-11 lead. He also picked up six ground balls. Connor Shellenberger finished with three goals and four assists while Emmett Barger had a hat trick and three assists. Michael McGraw finished with three goals and two assists.

 

Defender Doug Brooks had six ground balls on the day for the Saints. Noah Kurtz had 11 saves.

 

Back on April 18, the Saints dropped an 11-10 double overtime clash to St. Christopher’s and they fell 13-11 to Episcopal before that. Those losses came after a huge road win over Paul VI, also in a one-goal game.

 

It’s worth noting that the Saints, as a program, have been here before. Back in 2015, the one-goal losses were piling up too for a team with a talented offense as they fell 4-3 to St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes in early April, 13-12 to Paul VI later in the month and 8-7 to St. Christopher’s a week after that.

 

How did that year end up? A state championship win over St. Christopher’s that completed a three-game tournament run for the then sixth-seeded Saints against those squads that had edged them out during the regular season.

 

With three games left on the schedule starting with Western Albemarle Wednesday, the Saints have two weeks to get things locked in and, most likely, try and repeat a run similar to the 2015 revenge tour.

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