LYNN — When you get two inter-city rivals going head-to-head in boys lacrosse on a Friday night, you’re in for a treat. St. Mary’s against the Lynn Jets had it all – fast sticks, big hits, and flashy goals.
But in the end, the Spartans are Lynn city champions after landing the Jets 8-5 at Manning Field.
Simply put, both teams were amped for the big game beneath the bright lights. The Jets moved the scoreboard first – brought to you by John Crowley. Showing the Jets never give up on a play behind coach Peter Pappagianopoulos, Crowley initially lost the ball after a check, but won it back before firing one past St. Mary’s goalie Steven Lake (1-0).
If the Jets are known for not giving up, then the Spartans are known for having a short memory, per coach Wayne Moda. Within moments of the Jets going ahead, Finn Racki of St. Mary’s scored off of a Joey Calder assist to tie the game 1-1.
Later in the game with the Jets down 3-1, Ryan Dunn got the ball with space at midfield. Dunn then showed off his elusiveness, juking past a Spartan before scoring in the second quarter to cut St. Mary’s lead to one (3-2).
However, just like before, the Spartans proved they can score right after conceding one. Sophomore Jack Hall grabbed a goal back for St. Mary’s to reclaim its two-goal advantage (4-2).
Sisson made four consecutive saves before Lynn’s Ian Brown and Crowley scored to tie the game 4-4. Fast forward 40 seconds, and Dunn scored his second of the quarter. Dunn fired a low shot that got through multiple Spartans to give the Jets a 5-4 lead going into halftime.
The third quarter was all about defense. Neither team could get a shot past Sisson or Lake. St. Mary’s dominated most of the possession in the second half. That said, Nate Sisson made save after save to keep the Jets in the game.
With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Hall found a small window and fired a shot past Sisson’s stick to tie the game 5-5 going into the final quarter.
From there, the Spartans did their thing en route to being named champions of Lynn.
