Fox Lane boys lax comeback falls short against Putnam Valley

John Hamilton makes a save in goal. Will Oliverio wins a face off for Fox Lane against Putnam Valley. Declan Connors scoops up a ground ball for possession off the draw. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS

By JIM MACLEAN

Sometimes you don’t get the big goal, sometimes you hear the clank of the pipe, and the other team goes the other way and scores, and your comeback rally falls short.

That scenario unfolded for the Fox Lane boys varsity lacrosse team as the Foxes hosted Putnam Valley on Monday, April 7. The Foxes were staging a big rally, scoring three-straight goals to close it down to a one-goal deficit with possession and opportunities to tie it up, but the Tigers were able to hold on and score again to shut the door with a 10-8 victory.

Fox Lane definitely stepped it up and played well in the second half to stage the rally, but it wasn’t enough as Putnam Valley scored five goals in the second quarter and built a lead the Foxes could not overcome.

“It was tough, we were making a comeback towards the end, but ultimately we had a really bad second quarter that put us in a hole, and credit to them they were the tougher team today and that made the difference,” Fox Lane coach Charlie Rice said of Putnam Valley. “They outhustled us, out-groundballed us, that’s what it comes down to in a two-goal game, they just outworked us today.”

Trailing 8-4 at halftime, Fox Lane tried to rally back as Declan Connors scored a goal midway through the third to make it 9-6.

Will Oliverio then won the ensuing face off and led a fast break. Oliverio then fed John Mains in front and he buried a shot with 15 seconds left in the period to cut the lead down to 9-7 and give the Foxes some momentum heading into the fourth quarter.

Fox Lane once again gained possession as Oliverio won the face off, but the Foxes ripped three shots that clanged off the pipes and they came away empty to start the fourth quarter. It was now up to the defense, and after Fox Lane goalie John Hamilton came up with a big save, the Foxes cleared and scored another goal in transition as Mains finished it off at the other end to make it 9-8.

“That started with Will Oliverio winning the face offs and getting ground balls, pushing us in transition and that gave us some juice to come back,” said Rice. “John Mains is a consistent senior captain for us and he stepped up and got a couple of big goals. Ultimately, it was too little too late. We hit the pipes three times on one possession, a bit unlucky, but they outworked us. We just can’t spot them those goals and expect to come out with the win.”

Fox Lane kept up the momentum, winning another face off and ripping several shots, but none of them found the back of the net and Putnam Valley was able to close out the win.

Owen Baker finished with two goals and two assists to lead the Foxes, while Mains had two goals and an assist. Connors scored two goals. Chase Stonecipher scored his first varsity goal for the Foxes. Ryan Hardie scored a goal, while Oliverio and Tyler Davidson each had an assist. Hamilton made 12 saves in goal for the Foxes.

Fox Lane did record its first win of the season on Saturday, April 5, with an 11-3 victory on the road at Briarcliff.

Baker led the way with a hat trick scoring three goals, while Connors scored two goals and added an assist. Davidson scored a pair of goals. Finn Cahillane scored a goal and had an assist. Mains scored a goal and Eli Daglio had an assist. Hamilton made 10 saves in goal to register the win, and Oliverio won 10 face offs to give the Foxes possession.

Fox Lane also suffered a two-goal loss on the road at Suffern by the score of 13-11, as Baker scored five goals to lead the Foxes. Cahillane scored his first varsity goal and finished with two goals and an assist. Mains also scored two and had an assist, while Connors and Oliverio each scored a goal and had an assist.

“We played really well, another slow start, but once we got momentum going our way we played great,” Rice said of the Briarcliff game. “Owen Baker is our leader on offense and he had a great game. Finn Cahillane is coming into his own as a sophomore. It’s early, we have a lot of season left and we can work hard and go up from here. Overall, both offensively and defensively we’re getting better, and the little things like scooping ground balls, talking on defense, makes the difference. We have to do those things consistently.”