LYNN — It’s been a tough start to the season for the Lynn Jets lacrosse team. But Monday evening at Manning Field, the Jets put it all together in a 13-9 Northeastern Conference win over Everett.
“They worked hard,” Lynn coach Peter Pappagianopoulos said. “They started out real slow but our good senior captain group got them playing together, got them fired up and starting to play. We dropped behind early and it could’ve gotten ugly from there. But they turned it around and turned it into a good showing. I’m proud of my senior group.”
Senior attackman Sam Ennis led the way with five goals. Senior midfielder Brian Clougherty pumped in four goals.
“Sam has been great for us all year,” Pappagianopoulos said. “He scored five a couple games ago in our other win against Matignon. He scored five of our seven. He shows up big in big games. He plays well, we play well.
“Brian doesn’t come off the field,” Pappagianopoulos said. “He runs hard when he’s in there. He was on the bench maybe five minutes out of the 48. He’s a great kid, a great leader. We had a real tough start to the season and he did a great job keeping the team together.”
Liam Donovan scored two goals, while Steven Downey and Jack Gallant scored one apiece. Derrick Patrick logged two assists.
Everett scored the first two goals to put Lynn in an early 2-0 hole. Ennis fired in back-to-back tallies to tie the game at 2-2 midway through the opening period. Downey gave the Jets a 3-2 lead with 4:02 on the clock. Everett got one back and tied the game at 3-3 heading into the second quarter.
The next 12 minutes belonged to the Jets. Lynn fired in five goals and kept the Crimson Tide off the board to grab command. Gallant’s goal 15 seconds into the period gave Lynn a 4-3 lead. Clougherty followed suit a minute later, bumping the lead to 5-3. Goals from Ennis (two) and Donovan put the Jets up 8-3 at halftime.
“We moved the ball better,” Pappagianopoulos said. “We were looking to move the ball. In the second half it turned a little too iso-based and less passing. We moved the ball the best in the second quarter and it showed on the scoreboard.”
Everett scored three goals in between a pair of tallies from Clougherty and one from Ennis in the third quarter. Lynn carried an 11-6 lead at the end of the third.
Everett didn’t go down quietly in the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide cut Lynn’s lead to four goals but the Jets didn’t let them get any closer. Clougherty and Donovan scored once each to seal the 13-9 win.
Lynn improved to 2-7 with the victory. The Jets are back at it Thursday evening (5) when they host Saugus in a rematch of their season opener.
“They’re working,” Pappagianopoulos said. “We have a big one against Saugus Thursday. Hopefully the effort from (Monday) shows up then.”
