PEABODY — An eight-goal second half was the difference for the St. Mary’s boys lacrosse team Monday in an 11-8 win over rival Bishop Fenwick on the road at Donaldson Stadium.
It didn’t always look good for the Spartans in a back-and-forth Catholic Central League bout, but after going down 7-6 early in the fourth quarter, St. Mary’s flipped a switch and took things over.
“We woke up and there was a little bit of anger out there,” St. Mary’s assistant coach Max Allen said. “This is a rivalry game, so they wanted to go out there and make sure they played the best lacrosse that they could. It just took us a half to get going.”
It was a balanced attack on the offensive end for the Spartans. Jackson Field (four goals) and Zach Barden (three goals) led the way. Brady Ayles played well in the faceoff circle and added one goal. Harrison Kinne, Sam York and Maxwell Field all had one goal each. Goalie Daniel Domeniconi came through with some clutch fourth quarter saves.
“(Domeniconi) really stepped up at the end making a ton of saves,” Allen said. “And our shots started to fall too. Brady Ayles in the faceoff circle really did a nice job, had a couple quick ones. When everything comes together like that, that’s what happens.”
Despite the loss, Fenwick had its fair share of leads and opportunities but struggled to sustain momentum.
“They gave us a ton of opportunities but unfortunately we had a lot of unforced errors and possession where we just could not capitalize on the stuff that we’re supposed to,” Fenwick coach Steve Driscoll said. “Ground balls win games. If you can’t pick up a ground ball, you can’t win the game. That’s definitely something that we need to focus on.”
Liam Hill led the way once again for the Crusaders with five goals, while Aiden Anthony also stepped up with three goals.
“Aiden really stepped up,” Driscoll said. “He’s had a bum ankle which has been hurting him this season. It’s been hard for him to get in motion. The last couple games he’s really started to put things together and push it. It’s been great to have him and it will help us down the stretch having him and Liam working together.”
Both teams traded goals in the first half, but Fenwick took a 4-3 lead into the halftime break.
The Crusaders bumped their lead up to two in the third, but Jackson Field followed with a pair of goals and another by Barden put St. Mary’s ahead 6-5.
Hill gave Fenwick its final push with a pair of goals next to take back the lead, but St. Mary’s didn’t look back from there.
Four straight St. Mary’s goals, highlighted by a win on the draw and a goal from Ayles and some great passing on Maxwell Field’s goal.
Anthony broke the streak a few minutes later, but Barden iced the game with his final goal to give St. Mary’s the win.
Both teams have some time off before returning to the field.
St. Mary’s (6-3) hosts Weymouth Saturday (1:15).
Fenwick (3-4) is at Matignon Monday (TBD).
