June 12, 2010 — The Langley Saxons seized the 2010 Virginia boys’ lacrosse state title in convincing fashion on Saturday with a 12-5 masterpiece against the Loudoun Valley Vikings at Westfield High School. This latest lacrosse scalp gives Coach Earl Brewer’s boys a second crown to go with the championship earned in last year’s 4-3 overtime thriller against the Chantilly Chargers.
    
Langley senior Joey Byrne lugged the richest scoring haul of the night bagging four goals and an assist. Sophomore goalie Andrew Spivey at the other end produced 14 saves that perfectly complemented the hardy rearguard barrier that was his defensive corps throughout the night. And all players in between sporting Saxon colors fulfilled requirements of a champion’s role when it really mattered in the showpiece finale.  

The colors in fact nearly all black for the occasion — somewhat oddly designated the visiting team for the final, the 2009 champs were precluded from using their home white uniform — the darkly-clad Saxons did about everything short of conducting a pre-match Haka ceremony to overwhelm their Viking foe.

Seven teammates joined West Point cadet-to-be Byrne in the Langley scoring column — attackman Sean Ahearn supplied two for the night while attackers Ethan Bailey, Jack Lundeen and Jack Sandusky, middies Bryan Clubb and Luke Salzer, and defender Robbie Bennett provided a goal a piece.

The Vikings got single goals from middies Chris Daddio and Denis Radcliffe, attackers Chris Rabung and Dylan Zook, and defender Derek Zook. Senior Alex Sharrer guarded the Loudoun Valley net, was credited with eight saves and, like his Saxon counterpart, had one very busy night in front of the cage.

Langley trumped latest game form of both teams in pursuit of the victory. By any measure, the win was comprehensive beyond what could have been forecast considering each side’s track record during earlier rounds of the state playoffs, or for that matter the overtime defeat the Vikings dealt the Saxons in an early season tournament this past March at West Springfield.

Langley had barely survived Salem in overtime at home in the quarterfinal round, followed by a more positive yet very workmanlike, 7-5 outing against W.T. Woodson to reach the title game. Loudoun Valley, meanwhile, could boast a 7-5 away win against West Albemarle to go with a tidy, 18-8 conquest of Brooke Point midweek to claim its spot in the final.

The Saxons forged a 3-0 lead barely halfway into the first period, went into the halftime break up 5-1, and started the final quarter with a 7-3 advantage and a pair of Vikings serving penalty time with all but one second remaining on their respective terms. Langley was first to score in each quarter and let loose a four-goal barrage in the final quarter to put matters well beyond Loudoun Valley’s reach.

The Vikings required nearly 39 minutes of game time to accumulate four goals in the contest. The Saxons canceled out that scoring output in a matter of seven minutes with a quartet of well-taken, fourth-quarter strikes that tightened their grip on the win and state title honors. Byrne’s fourth of the game — an unassisted effort — followed by an eight-yard blast from Clubb off of an assist from Byrne, and Ahearn’s second of the night set up by a decisive pass from junior middie Troy Scharfen after a lengthy team possession, fattened the margin for Langley and drained a large portion of time remaining from the game clock. Then, with less than a minute left in the proceedings and Loudoun Valley with a man advantage, Bennett collected a set-up pass from Clubb and delivered a shorthanded goal giving the senior defender’s side an even dozen for the night’s work.

While the Vikings on Saturday night had their better moments and netted five goals in all, these were little more than occasional pauses punctuating the nearly continuous Saxon mantra for the evening — deny, check, steal, pass, possess and score. Upon securing a multiple-goal lead in the opening period, Langley had its opponent firmly framed in the rear view mirror, and as matters progressed, found less need to heed that very common warning that objects in view may be closer than they appear.

The Saxons enjoyed a dream first period getting a trio of unanswered goals and shutting out Loudoun Valley. Bailey delivered the game’s first goal not quite two minutes from the opening whistle, with the VMI-bound senior depositing from just outside the crease at the end of a rapid sequence of precise passes that included an assisting contribution from Scharfen.  

Langley continued the early-game pressure on offense, with senior middies Jack Curry and Ryan Miller launching shots that went narrowly wide of Sharrer’s cage, although Spivey was forced into blocking a Viking bid from close range, and Curry was needed to track down defender Garrett Swankowski when the Loudoun Valley senior initiated a threatening attack that the speedy Saxon thwarted with a timely strip of the longpoleman’s possession.

Salzer doubled the lead at the midpoint of the opening period when the freshman made the most of a cross-crease pass from Bailey that set up the scorer well for a close-in strike past Sharrer. Sandusky then made it three immediately from the ensuing face-off — again, a crease-side finish, this time with Byrne winning the re-start at the center spot and feeding Bailey, who earned his second assist in less than ten seconds of game time by moving the ball smartly to the Langley junior for the score.

Sandusky, Lundeen then Miller again each took a crack at Sharrer’s goal but these went wide of or over the net. Daddio started to get some better looks at goal late in the first period but the Viking senior, heading to Syracuse this Fall, saw Spivey keep out his most promising chance from eight yards. Loudoun Valley’s Nick Anderson then mounted a long-pole charge into attack but the senior defender could not outrun Salzer, who managed to back-check Anderson’s stick for a timely turnover just past the midfield line. Bailey then deployed a swim move to slip by his opposing marker and venture in alone against Sharrer in the final minute of the quarter only to see his shot veer narrowly off-target.

Ahearn got Langley’s fourth of the game early in the second quarter, with an assist to Lundeen, this just after Spivey came up with a fine point-blank save on a close-in shot from Viking attackman Brandon Bunce. Loudoun Valley attackers persisted, getting off a rifled shot that banged off the crossbar before Daddio finally got their breakthrough, drilling in an eight-yarder past Spivey to reduce the deficit to three goals just three minutes into the second period.

But Byrne responded only two minutes later with a left-hand shot from short range after dodging his way through the Vikings defenses, getting his first for the night and the fifth for the Saxons. Langley defender Thomas Robinson then made something out of a half-chance presented to him when he moved into attack out of a scrum at midfield. The Loyola-bound, All-Met senior charged in, briefly lost control of the ball as we was setting to shoot, then regained enough composure to dispatch toward net but not past Sharrer. Spivey was then forced into a stellar double save at the other end, with the second coming at point-blank range, to preserve the four-goal lead for his Saxons.

Loudoun Valley was thrown a life-line late in the first half when Robinson was cited for a slash giving the Vikings a man advantage for a minute. The advantage did not yield a goal despite several shots unleashed in Spivey’s direction, the first snared by the Langley netminder followed by several outside attempts that sailed wide of goal.

Teams alternated goals in a third period that was scoreless until its midpoint. Prior to that, both goalies coped well with threatening attacks that required tricky saves. Dylan Zook next used a behind-the-back attempt to sneak one by Spivey from four yards out but the senior’s effort swerved just wide of goal. The Saxons then enjoyed a man advantage on two occasions but went scoreless during each, with one volley hitting the goal frame and a menacing bounce-shot from close range getting corralled by Sharrer.

Langley saw its goal margin expand to a commanding five when Lundeen provided a well-timed cut toward net to receive a set-up pass from Clubb and snap in from four yards. The Vikings pulled one back soon after, coming directly from a re-start that had a Saxon in possession at midfield but promptly getting his pocket picked from behind. Rabung delivered the assisting pass for attacker Zook to complete the opportunistic, fast break scoring play.  

But back again came Langley, this time with Byrne bulling his way in for the score from close range to record his second of the contest. The Saxon middie attracted a hard check while in his shooting motion that altered delivery in a way that appeared to put Sharrer in weaker position for blocking the shot.

The Loudoun Valley goalie got the better of Miller about a minute later when the middie triggered a left-hand shot headed for an open corner of the net, which Sharrer somehow managed to cover with his upper body through quick adjustment to the incoming threat. The Viking keeper saved again about a minute later, just before his side was awarded a 60-second extra-man opportunity with a little over a minute remaining in the third period. Rabung flicked in high over Spivey from four yards to convert the man-advantage goal after Daddio had furnished a vital assisting pass.

On the sinking side of a 7-3 score-line with the fourth quarter nearing, Loudoun Valley saw its prospects, already fairly fragile, weaken considerably in the last second of the third period when a pair of flags signaled two separate infractions leading to a two-man advantage for Langley. Byrne made the best use of an assist from Saxon sophomore attacker Mikey Adams, at the end of a methodical build-up in the advantage, to fire in for his third of the game and the 8-3 lead for Langley less than 20 seconds into the final frame.  

Derek Zook then struck back for his Vikings when the senior defender recognized an unsettled situation allowing him to advance for the unassisted goal from 10 yards. But the Saxons pounced with four and maintained their deadbolt defense — Robinson and Bennett joining senior Kas Semancik and juniors Brenden Dwyer and Connor Curry — to seal the result.   
        
Spivey still had work to do during the late stretch, making a fine save on Bunce when the junior was left unmarked just outside the goal crease, then denying another chance for Swankowski after the All-Met defender generated a nice break from his defensive zone that yielded a scoring bid but no goal. Loudoun Valley did get a fifth goal, an unassisted strike from Radcliffe with less than two seconds remaining in the game. This a consolation for the Viking sophomore that brought reply from Langley that only a state champion can offer when the blare of the final horn signifies the season-long race has finally been won.  

June 10, 2010 – The Langley Saxons edged past the W.T. Woodson Cavaliers in a 7-5 semifinal clash on Thursday evening at Westfield High School to advance to the Virginia High School League state final in boys’ lacrosse this Saturday, with chance to defend their 2009 title against this year’s opponent, the Loudoun Valley Vikings (18-3).

The Vikings earned a berth in the state championship game with an 18-8 victory over Brooke Point Blackhawks (19-2) in the other semi-final earlier on Thursday at Westfield.

The Saxons (19-2) conceded the game’s first goal, then proceeded to build a 5-1 advantage by the fourth minute of the second quarter. Woodson chipped away at the four-goal lead but narrowed the difference to only a 6-3 margin by half time.

Solid defending by both teams during the second half kept the score-line frozen until Langley added an insurance goal midway through the final quarter.

The Cavaliers (14-6) did collect a pair to shrink the deficit to two with about three minutes left, but from there on the Saxon back line, with the help of sharp goalkeeping from sophomore Andrew Spivey, held firm for the win over Langley’s former Liberty District rival.  

Middie Joey Byrne paced the Saxons with a hat-trick, in addition to single goals from middies Jack Curry and Ryan Miller, and from attackers Sean Ahern and Mikey Adams.

Woodson attackman Clayton Wainer supplied a pair of goals to go with solo strikes from two middies — Tyler Stellwag and Scotty Williams — and from senior attacker Davis Mayberry.

Spivey went the distance in goal for Langley and made a number of key saves during the game, including four in succession coming with less than a minute remaining in the contest. Senior Brian Beatson guarded the net for the Cavaliers and provided several fine saves, among them stellar blocks of point-blank shots throughout the game.    

Mayberry provided the game opener striking at the end of transition play less than three minutes from the start. The Saxons responded just past the halfway mark of the first quarter when Curry found lots of room to maneuver allowing the senior to unload a bounce shot from 12 yards.   

Langley’s wires got charged from the Curry equalizer, as the Saxons grabbed the next four goals to open up a lead they would never relinquish.  Byrne delivered the first of his three for the evening about a minute later when the senior fired in left-handed from five yards after dodging to a spot at the left of Beatson’s cage.   

Stellwag embarked on an attack in the other direction out of the ensuing face-off but the Cavalier senior lost possession to lively Langley defender Robbie Bennett. The turnover by the Saxon senior eventually led to a second Byrne goal less than a minute after his first, with the attacker generating a mirror-image version of his first by going to the right of the goal this time to deposit right-handed from similar distance.

Miller then added the fourth for Langley in the last minute of the first period when the senior unleashed a one-handed bounce shot after fighting off the defensive check to gain a close-in launch point just outside Beatson’s cage staking the Saxons to an early three-goal lead.

Defender Thomas Robinson mounted another break toward Beatson right out of the ensuing face-off but the Langley senior was quickly dispossessed by a Cavalier defender determined to hold the line on the bullish Saxons, who enjoyed a 4-1 advantage at the close of the first period.

Beatson was sharp enough to deploy a fine point-blank save on a Byrne attempt during a man-advantage situation for Langley early in the second period, but could not keep out a bid from Adams shortly after. The Saxon sophomore snapped in nicely into the upper left-hand corner of Beatson’s net from short range after taking an assisting pass from Ahearn.

Stellwag pulled one back for the Cavaliers less than :20 seconds later with an unassisted, left-hand strike from eight yards after making a good run through some Langley defensive traffic to shoot in past Spivey. Ahearn came close to canceling out Stellwag’s goal almost four minutes later when the sophomore picked out a good channel to shoot easily past Beatson for the bargain goal but his close-in attempt only grazed off the crossbar and clear behind the cage much to the Woodson keeper’s relief.

Saxon freshman middie Luke Salzer then got to work getting off a couple of shots late in the first half only to see the first sail high past the cage, and the second from 12 yards hit the pipe after a partial block from Beatson. Robinson tried his luck with a left-handed shot from 12 yards but Beatson again was equal to the challenge from the long-stick assault on his cage.

Ahearn finally supplied the sixth for Langley with about two minutes remaining in the first half, with senior attacker Ethan Bailey providing the assisting pass from behind the goal. But Wainer flicked low and to the left past Spivey before the end of the half to set the 6-3 score-line for half time. The Cavaliers had been awarded a man advantage due to a push-with-possession infraction by the Saxons very late in the half, which set the stage for the junior’s unassisted strike.  

Defenses for both sides remained firm, and no further scoring occurred, until deep into the final quarter.  Woodson managed some sustained possession in attack early in the second half but defender Brenden Dwyer thwarted a promising build-up with the Langley junior’s timely intercept of pass headed to the front of Spivey’s crease. Senior defender Steven Montgomery then provided some solid defensive checking on Bailey prowling in the danger area at the other end, which forced the Saxon attack to proceed through senior Bryan Clubb but the middie’s outside shot went just wide of net.

The Cavaliers soon shifted momentum in the other direction when a long-stick defender was looking to venture into attack but Curry stripped ball and stick from his opponent at midfield to stall the effort.  

Woodson enjoyed sustained possession in attack just past midpoint of the third period with promising shot from sophomore middie Marcus Berry that Spivey parried wide, then from Stellwag, whose bid went narrowly wide of target. Several more shots in quick succession kept Spivey busy until a block and follow-up shot on a rebound that went wide with a Langley defender claiming possession on the re-start with a hustling back-up of the play.  

Robinson then had to mark Mayberry close enough to limit the attacker’s options on another attack towards Spivey’s goal, in the end forcing the Cavalier senior into a soft lob shot over the top of Robinson and Spivey. The ball settled at the goalie’s feet just outside the crease unnoticed for a few moments until Spivey found and claimed it before any Woodson attacker could pounce for the easy scraps.

Defender Sean Meacham was quick to disrupt a potentially productive exchange between Bailey and senior Saxon attackman Jack Lundeen early in the fourth quarter, with the Cavalier senior making the interception just outside his side’s goal crease. Langley senior defender Cas Semancik contributed a fine clearing run effort in the fourth minute of the final quarter after the Woodson attack corps had started asking more questions of the Saxon defenses.

Beatson then was back at work making key saves on shots from Salzer and Bailey with about seven minutes left in the game, and soon after with Langley enjoying a man advantage, taking a close-in shot off his helmet to keep out the Saxon bid for a late score to cushion the lead. Although the ball caromed far from the goal area, possession still remained with Langley, and soon after the man-advantage had expired Byrne had secured the seventh goal for his side using an assisting pass from Adams to drill in high past Beatson from five yards out.

The Cavaliers had the last word with the scoring as sophomore Williams snapped in from four yards after receiving a nice assisting pass from Stellwag just past the half-way point of the final quarter, followed by Wainer’s second of the game with about three minutes left in the contest. Spivey resorted to a kick save to keep out a threatening Woodson shot just after Williams’ goal, then had to fend off several late shots as the Cavaliers pressed to close the deficit in the hope of forcing an overtime conclusion.

But Saxon defenses and Spivey’s sure goalkeeping squeezed the remainder of life out of the encounter with the 2009 titleholders in front by a pair and bound for a return trip to a state final.  

June 4, 2010 – The Spartans of Salem had endured a four-hour, 240-mile road journey to Mclean on Friday to partake in a quarterfinal bout in the 2010 edition of the boys lacrosse Virginia High School League state playoffs. And although the Roanoke-area squad arrived undiminished in its desire and ability to excel against the 2009 state champs, in the end the Langley Saxons on their home ground proved too much for their guests –  but only by a sliver.

An ambitious Salem side departed on the wrong end of a pulsating, 13-12 overtime slugfest that concluded a fruitful 14-6 season for the AA Region II Spartans and ushered the Northern Region Saxons (18-2) to a semifinal clash on Wednesday with the W.T. Woodson Cavaliers, quarterfinal winners over Osbourn Park on Saturday.

It was a final strike from sophomore Sean Ahearn — the attacker’s third goal of the game — in the second minute of the first extra period that broke Salem hearts after the visitors had skillfully confined their hosts to chasing the game for nearly the entire evening. The Spartans had claimed the lead just :23 seconds from the opening whistle, were behind only once during regulation time — this for only eight seconds very late in the fourth quarter — and three times through the gut of the contest had forged a three-goal advantage, a deficit the Saxons had not experienced in any game since April of last year, and at home for at least two years.  

Salem attacker Lance Thomas shined with five goals to go with four from middie Daniel Dyer, a pair from attacker Ian Robertson and one from middie Josh Davis. At the other end it was nearly all hands on deck and in the scoring column as 10 Saxons netted goals. In addition to Ahearn’s hat-trick, Langley got a pair from attacker Jack Lundeen and one each from middies Joey Byrne, Bryan Clubb, Jack Curry, Ryan Miller and Troy Scharfen, attackers Ethan Bailey and Jack Sandusky, and defender Robbie Bennett.   

Spartan senior Matt Robertson played the entire game in goal for Salem making 13 saves. Junior Ryan Long and sophomore Andrew Spivey split keeper duties for the Saxons and were credited with two and seven saves, respectively.

As runner-ups in their respective regions, both teams were eager to prove that the regional finals defeat they each suffered late last month — the Spartans to Western Albemarle by 6-5, the Saxons to Robinson by 11-10 in overtime — was a fluke result to be thoroughly eclipsed by triumphant rebound in the opening stage of the state competition. Salem surely had the more daunting task with several hours of travel prior to taking on the 2009 state titleholders, but both teams were wise to calculate that their opponent’s presence in the state competition was credential enough to expect a tough battle with outcome uncertain. And the fighting Spartans did everything asked of them, and then some, to play their part in staying final judgment until a fifth period of lacrosse.

That finally arrived, with feisty Salem attackers making Spivey work in its early moments, getting off three searching shots that the Langley goalie had to deal with in quick succession. The Saxons gladly turned the action in the other direction, with quick transition leading to a Lundeen pass from behind the cage that allowed Ahearn to fire in from close range for the sudden-death win at the 2:16 mark.

The only other time Langley pushed ahead during the game was on a scoring play that started with a sparkling clearing run by Salem senior Bud Tolliver. The middie spun and dodged his way around and through what seemed the entire Saxon attacking corps to move the ball from his goalie’s crease area to the other side of the midfield line. The lively Spartan was unable to complete the mission, however, and when he lost possession, he could only watch as Langley mounted a swift counterattack leading to Miller dispatching past Robertson for a 12-11 lead.      

Salem supplied a quick response, with Thomas creating the goal — his fifth of the night — right from the following face-off. Defender Hunter Thompson, who was a long-stick winger for face-offs and got a well-earned assist on Thomas’ goal, seized possession on the very next face-off and ventured into attack on his own but the Spartan junior saw his effort saved by Spivey.     

Bailey and Byrne then launched shots at the other end that went wide, followed by a low shot from freshman middie Luke Salzer that Robertson saved to preserve the tie and force a nervy overtime conclusion.

Salem was at work promptly at the start of the game with Dyer grabbing the game opener at the 11:37 mark for the early lead. Byrne canceled that out less than a minute later when the senior dodged his way in at the other end to equalize with a bounce shot from short range.     

Langley continued in its attack although sophomore defender Spencer Hite came up with a crafty steal of a threatening set-up attempt by Curry to ease the early-game pressure on Salem defensives. Robertson was the more active goalie in the early going having to contend with shots from Miller and Bailey, as well from adventurous Saxon defenders like junior Brenden Dwyer, but the Spartan net-minder let nothing past him during this stretch of play.

Thomas collected his first goal of the night near the midpoint of the opening period after receiving an assisting pass from Tolliver, who had set up the Salem senior nicely for the score and the 2-1 lead. Scharfen’s bounce shot from eight yards less than a minute later was guided wide by Robertson keeping the Spartans on top. They came close to their third soon after when attacker Robertson edged past senior defender Thomas Robinson to sling one on goal, but the Salem junior saw his effort bang off the cage pipe and away from danger.

Dyer did get the third — the senior’s second of the game — with a left-hand bounce shot that snuck by Long, staking the Spartans to a 3-1 margin that held into the following quarter. Ahearn managed to get the ball to a close-in Miller with about a minute left but the senior blazed his shot just over the cage. Thompson came back the other way but his bid went narrowly wide of Long’s crease just as time expired in the opening period.

Langley had Robertson busy at the start of the second frame, with shots from Lundeen and Byrne requiring the attention of the Salem keeper, who was unable to keep out Clubb’s bounce shot from 12 yards nearly three minutes into the period. The Langley senior was set up by a timely pass from Lundeen, who contributed four assists in all during the game. Robertson had better success when he denied a point-blank try from Sandusky followed shortly by an on-target attempt from Miller.

Tolliver then spun his way to a good shooting spot only to see his shot carom off the crossbar, this less than ten seconds before Langley snatched a tying goal at the other end, the result of a large slice of good fortune for the Saxons. A Lundeen pass sailing in toward Sandusky near Robertson’s crease somehow drifted outside full control of either the goalie or the Langley attacker and leaked into the net for the score.

The Spartans recovered smartly from the freakish goal, with Robertson the attacker supplying his two for the night within a span of :19 seconds near the halfway point of the second quarter. The first came with an assist from fellow attacker Chad Fisher after the ball had caromed around the Salem attack box to end up with the freshman, who promptly got the ball to Robertson for the sure finish. The second for Robertson was an unassisted effort from seven yards that came quickly out of the ensuing face-off.
 
Scharfen pulled one back at the end of a methodical build-up by the Saxons, with the junior drilling in after collecting an assisting pass from Byrne. But Thomas replied with his second and third goals of the night, dodging free and unleashing a bounce shot for the first of the pair, then going in alone against Spivey, who had come in to replace Long in goal for Langley, for the second. Thomas feinted to play the Saxon keeper out of position just enough to deposit into the net and cap his hat-trick late in a first half that ended with a deserved 7-4 advantage for the Spartans.

Langley’s turnaround, slow in coming, started to show well after half time when the Saxons outpaced their opponents by two goals to reduce Salem’s advantage to 10-9 at the end of the third period. Third-quarter play started with another rapid assault from the face-off by the energetic Spartans, although Spivey was quick for the save. Ahearn then dispatched from just outside Robertson’s crease, off of an assisting pass from Lundeen, to bring the Saxons to within two, although Dyer pounced from 15 yards about a minute later to recover the three-goal margin for Salem.

The teams next alternated pairs of goals, with Bennett and Ahearn providing for Langley before Davis and Thomas answered with one each just past the midpoint of the third period, followed by single strikes from Saxons Bailey and Curry late in the quarter.   

Bennett struck while working as long-stick winger on the face-off following Dyer’s second goal, with the Saxon senior gathering the ground ball out of the center scrum and charging into attack for the bounce-shot score from six yards. Ahearn then slipped one by Robertson from close range less than a minute later at the end of a crisp sequence that started when Dwyer stripped possession from a Spartan attacker deep in the Langley defensive zone, secured the ground ball and executed a tricky pass to Byrne at the midfield line. Byrne instantly got the close attention of two grudging opponents, yet was able to move the ball to an open Lundeen up the sideline in the Saxon attack half from where the senior attacker found ample space to advance and assist on Ahearn’s doorstep finish.

Davis used a left-handed shot high into Spivey’s cage to add a goal scored to the face-off actions of the Salem freshman. Thomas then added some polish to his hat-trick by getting his fourth of the night with less than four minutes remaining in the third period, which restored the three-goal difference.    

Langley closed to within one of the Spartans before the close of the quarter when bounce-shots from seniors Bailey and Curry found their way into the net. Both players had chances in between their two goals, with Bailey’s deflecting from the Salem keeper to the goal post then away from goal, and Curry’s drawing a fine reaction save from Robertson. The hosts appeared on the verge of tying matters very late in the period only to see their sustained attack fizzle out when Hite came up with a well-timed intercept of a menacing cross-field pass.   

Lundeen needed only a minute of fourth-quarter time to tie the game at 10 when he maneuvered around from behind the cage to flick in from close range. The Saxon nearly got his side in front for the first time only seconds out of the re-start but his attempt was kept out by the goal frame.

An extra-man opportunity for the Spartans arising from a Langley push-with-possession foul provided Thomas the stage for getting his fifth goal of the game and another lead for Salem. And it took all of nine seconds and two brisk passes for the Spartan gunner to convert from 15 yards for the extra-man goal and an 11-10 score-line he hoped his side could carry through to the finish line for the victory.  

But Lundeen put the game on level terms again on a close-in shot with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth period, which erased Salem’s final lead of the game. And when late scores from Miller and Thomas kept the battle fully balanced to the final horn, it was left to Ahearn to complete his hat-trick and deliver a sudden-death verdict in overtime.            

May 26, 2010 — Thurmond Shaw hoisted his Robinson Rams the last step to the Northern Region boys lacrosse summit on Wednesday with a dramatic overtime game-winner to defeat the Langley Saxons in the 2010 regional final at South County High School. The senior attackman struck from ten yards with :25 seconds remaining in the first extra period to seal the 11-10 victory, and complete an inspired comeback that saw Rams middie Thomas Petrocci erase a two-goal deficit to the 2009 region champs with a pair of goals in the last two minutes of regulation. 

The sudden-death win for Robinson surely settles any lingering memories the victors still might harbor of the 2009 final between these same two teams that went Langley’s way in a double-overtime, 6-5 thriller at South County a year ago.

The overtime goal for Shaw was his third of the game, yet Petrocci carried the heavier scoring load with an impressive five goals for the night. Attacker Jason Stein supplied a pair while attacker Connor Ruddy, who provided a key assist for Shaw’s powerful game-decider, got one goal for the Rams (13-4). 

Senior attacker Sean Ahearn delivered a hat-trick for the Saxons (17-2) to go with a pair of goals from both attacker Jack Sandusky and middie Ryan Miller, and single goals from defender Thomas Robinson, middie Luke Salzer and attacker Jack Lundeen.

Senior Keenan Kevan guarded the cage for Robinson and was credited with eight saves while sophomore Andrew Spivey made seven for Langley.  Despite save totals low relative to total goals scored, both keepers managed to block a number of quality shots on net throughout the contest.

The two sides remained eyeball-to-eyeball at the end of the first half, third quarter and regulation, with the teams on level terms with five, seven and 10 a piece at each break and at the final horn, respectively. Each enjoyed a lead at times, with Langley getting a two-goal advantage twice during the first half and late in the fourth quarter, and Robinson edging ahead by a goal for two brief stretches during third-quarter play, and then at the very end when it mattered most.      

The winning strike was end-product of a crisp fast break just after the Saxons had faltered in their own assault on Kevan’s goal during overtime. Senior defender Mike O’Meara mounted a counterattack with a run into the offensive zone and passed to Ruddy stationed behind Spivey’s goal. Ruddy then picked out the open Shaw, who promptly fired in to ignite jubilant celebration among the Rams and their many supporters.

Langley had chances in the extra period but all came up just short. Senior defender Robbie Bennett grabbed possession for the Saxons right out of the opening face-off and set up a Lundeen shot from five yards that Kevan blocked. Senior middie Jack Curry tried his luck about a minute later but his effort did not get past the Robinson goalie, and though the ball ricocheted directly out to middie Troy Scharfen, the Langley junior saw his follow-up shot skip wide of goal. Lundeen got a second look with a little over a minute left in the initial overtime period but the senior sliced his shot narrowly off-target.

The need for extra time arose from Petrocci’s clutch goal-scoring deep into the fourth quarter. The senior in fact produced the last four goals in regulation time for his Rams, with the first — a flick-in after a deft run through Saxons defenses — giving Robinson a brief 7-6 advantage early in the third period. Petrocci delivered again at the 8:23 mark of the final quarter, snapping in to tie the game at 8.

Then, looking up at a two-goal hurdle with only two minutes left in regulation, the Rams sharpshooter deployed a left-hand bounce shot to cut the margin to one giving his side some real hope for full recovery. That arrived shortly after Shaw sailed one over Spivey’s cage, when Petrocci’s fifth of the game — an unassisted strike with less than :14 seconds remaining — set the stage for Shaw’s later heroics.

The energetic Petrocci launched the game’s first shot on, this in the first minute of play that Saxon junior Brendan Dwyer deflected from danger when the defender waved his longstick in the path of the attacker’s flighted ball just at the right time.

The game-opening goal came at the other end, however, when Sandusky provided the final touch on a sequence that started when Dwyer collected a groundball in an unsettled situation near midfield. Dwyer passed to fellow defender Robinson, who in turn got the ball to Sandusky for the eight-yard strike just over two minutes into the contest.

Salzer doubled the early lead for Langley a couple minutes later when the freshman’s six-yard shot appeared to sneak between Kevan’s legs and into the net.

But the industrious Robinson squad was in no mood for letting the Saxons get any further from its reach. Petrocci came through with his first of the game less than a minute after Salzer’s goal with a light fling of the ball over Spivey, who had moved out from the goalmouth area in an attempt to reduce the shooting angle for the approaching attacker. The ball trickled rather meekly behind the Langley netminder and into net, although for Petrocci and his Rams it was a resounding breakthrough effort.

Ruddy then tied the game at 2 just past the eight-minute mark of the first period. Robinson attacker Alex Barber had pirated possession during a Saxon clearing attempt near midfield, with the Rams sophomore quickly feeding the ball to fellow sophomore attacker Clarke Pietruszka sparking a fast break in the other direction. Pietruszka found himself and Ruddy up against a lone Spivey, with Ruddy nailing the finish from close range after a precise set-up pass from his teammate.  

Miller restored the lead for Langley with about three minutes left in the opening quarter following a 12-yard blast from by Curry. Although Kevan blocked the Curry shot, he was unable to pocket the loose ball, which spilled nicely to Miller prowling near the crease and positioned well for an easy chip into goal.

Sandusky then benefited from an assisting pass from Ahearn to get his second goal of the game, with the Saxon junior whipping in a low shot to restore the two-goal lead for Langley with just over a minute left in the first period.  

Stein slipped one low between Spivey’s feet and into net less than two minutes into the second quarter just after Byrne produced a low bounce shot at the other end that Kevan saved. A heavy scrum developed shortly after when Bennett was caught in possession amidst three Rams when embarking on a clearing attempt along the sideline near midfield. But Saxon defender Cas Semancik came to the rescue just in time with a fine, one-handed move to gather the ground ball in full stride in tight space between his opponents and the sideline to relieve the pressure and then initiate an attack.

The aggressive move by the Langley senior paid off less than a minute later when Miller got his second goal of the game, this from close range putting his side up by two again.

Stein was soon on the hunt for a second goal but his effort was tipped high and over the crossbar by the alert Spivey, who then made a partial save on the next shot on his goal. The ball got past him into the cage although a Robinson attacker was called for a crease violation so the apparent goal was ruled out.

Stein did get his second of the game just past the halfway point of the second period. The junior drilled high to Spivey’s left after dodging in toward goal, with Shaw earning an assist on the play. Shaw then tied the game at 5 a minute later when he latched on to a pass from Petrocci, whirling around to blaze in from seven yards at the 4:33 mark.

The Rams continued to apply offensive pressure late in the first half, and enjoyed a lengthy stretch of possession in attack until freshman defender Robbie Byrne was quickest in the middle of unsettled play in the Saxon defensive area to claim the a loose ball and remove the danger for Langley.

Then, in the late moments of the first half, Robbie’s older brother Joey Byrne managed a good look at goal but his rifled shot was turned away by Kevan. The ball caromed a good distance back to midfield, from where the Rams mounted another assault on goal leading to a Ruddy attempt that was saved by Spivey.

Robinson seized its first lead with Shaw’s second goal of the game coming less than a minute into second-half play, with the overtime hero pulling away just enough from the check of defender Robinson to shoot in past the Saxon goalie. The Rams’ lead was short-lived, though, as Ahearn returned at the other end a little more than a minute later to get an equalizer. Langley senior Bryan Clubb had unleashed a shot from distance, but the middie’s effort traveled just wide of Kevan’s cage directly to the awaiting Ahearn, who was in good position just outside the crease to grab Clubb’s incoming volley and snap in past the Robinson goalie.

Petrocci’s second goal restored the lead for the Rams, but this was soon canceled out by Ahearn’s second of the night at the midpoint of the third quarter, with an assist from Scharfen. 

Ruddy then furnished a quick shot right out of the ensuing face-off, after two quick passes set him up nicely, but the senior sent the ball sailing over Spivey’s goal. Lundeen finally had his first real chance of the game emerge when he broke free from close marking to deliver a shot on goal that Kevan saved well. The Saxons then had the firing range active near the end of the third period when Miller then Salzer let fly but both shots bounced narrowly past Kevan’s crease area leaving the encounter finely poised at 7-7 going into the final period.

Langley’s Robinson undid the tie right from the starting face-off for the fourth quarter, with the senior longpole collecting the groundball and promptly venturing into productive attack to score with barely :11 seconds off the clock. The Rams offense got back to work quickly after the next center-spot re-start, with a promising build-up leading to a shot attempt from Pietruszka that Dwyer disrupted just enough to get the ball to swerve off-target. 

Petrocci then registered his third goal of the night to level the score yet again, but not before his team’s defenses were put to a prolonged test under sustained Saxon attack, with shots from Semancik, Lundeen, Byrne and Curry keeping Kevan, O’Meara, senior defender Jeff Kondracki and sophomore defender Brady George laboring for a couple minutes of game time.    

And only :20 seconds after Petrocci had equalized, Lundeen popped out from behind the net area with possession, turned and fired in past Kevan from close range giving Langley the lead for the fourth time four minutes into the last quarter. The Robinson attacking corps were given fewer shooting opportunities through the middle of the final period, and when Ruddy’s effort was kept out by the frame of Spivey’s goal with only five minutes remaining, and Ahearn supplied his third of the game shortly after to reinstate their two-goal lead, one would have believed the Saxons had the firmest of grips on victory and region top honors for a second year in a row.      

The 2009 region champs enjoyed the majority of possession for the next few minutes, until the prolific Petrocci conjured yet another two wonder goals within a span of two minutes, which should have served as ample warning that the Rams were cued from a different script on this night.  

With the win and the 2010 Northern Region title in hand, Robinson goes into the state tournament as top seed from the region to host the Northwest Region’s Brooke Point Blackhawks (18-1) of Stafford on Friday June 4.  Brooke Point defeated the Patrick Henry Patriots (9-8) on Saturday in Roanoke to capture the third seed berth from the Northwest Region.

Langley enters as second seed from the Northern Region and will similarly host the Salem Spartans (14-5) Friday at Langley. The Roanoke-area Spartans had to settle for the AA Region II second-seed berth when they lost to 2010 Region II champions Western Albemarle on Friday in Charlottesville. 

May 24, 2010 — The Langley Saxons booked passage to the boys lacrosse Northern Region tournament final — and a return trip to the upcoming state tournament — with their 9-7 triumph this past Monday over a Westfield Bulldogs squad that saw its late-game resurgence at West Springfield High School fall short by only a couple of goals as time expired.  

The Saxons (17-1) will defend their region crown against the Robinson Rams (12-4), their opponent in last year’s region final who also advanced on Monday with a narrow, 10-9 win over the W.T. Woodson Cavaliers. The Bulldogs (12-4) will meet the Cavaliers (12-5) in the consolation game on Wednesday to determine the third seed in the state play-offs in early June.  

Langley and Robinson, both already qualifying for the state tourney by virtue of their semi-final victories, will face off on Wednesday to determine the Northern Region champion as well as first and second seeds in the state playoffs.

The Saxons got hat-tricks from two attackmen — Sean Ahearn and Ethan Bailey — plus a pair of goals from middie Joey Byrne and a single strike from attacker Jack Sandusky.

Middies Johnny Esposito and Forrest Fischer each delivered a pair of goals while attackers Woody Angle and Ryan O’Sullivan, and middie Gus Coughlin, scored one each for Westfield.

Andrew Spivey and Alex Kawchak, both sophomores, provided goalie duties and were credited with eight saves for Langley and 13 saves for the Bulldogs, respectively.

The Saxons enjoyed the bulk of possession in the early going but the game-opener was furnished quite against the run of play by Westfield. Langley then engineered a smooth run of seven goals, and eventually carried an 8-2 advantage into the fourth quarter for what appeared to be a comfortable lead for getting home and dry with the win. 

But the 2009 region and state champs discovered there was more work to be done when a late Bulldog surge within a two-minute span yielded four straight goals to reduce the deficit to two with a half quarter yet to play. An inspired Westfield side pressed its play with growing belief for full recovery only to see Ahearn strike back late, breaking the Bulldogs’ comeback stride just enough to give the Saxons the edge at the finish line.   

Langley came out of the starting blocks the brighter as Byrne charged from the opening face-off and unleash the game’s initial volley forcing Kawchak into the early block. The Saxons kept the Westfield keeper busy, with middies Troy Scharfen and Bryan Clubb, and attackman Jack Lundeen, delivering goal-bound attempts soon after although none got through. But it was the initial foray into offense by the Bulldogs that set up the breakthrough score when their rapid buildup caught Langley in an offsides infraction giving Westfield a man advantage.

Esposito promptly delivered with a left-hand bounce shot staking his side to an early 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the contest.     

Saxon Luke Salzer soon sparked a sustained possession for Langley when the freshman middie claimed possession near midfield from Bulldog junior middie Robbie Slover, but promising shots from Lundeen, Byrne, Clubb, Byrne again, then Scharfen sailed just wide or were stopped by the active Kawchak.    

The Saxons finally got their first just after the start of a man-advantage situation coming from a slash infraction in the closing minute of the opening quarter. Bailey’s quick pass at the re-start allowed Ahearn to fire in just a couple seconds into the advantage to tie the score. The Langley sophomore than grabbed the lead for his side with less than five seconds remaining in the period on an unassisted strike from eight yards after a long run-around in possession.

Byrne came close to adding a third right out of the ensuing face-off when the senior specialist gathered the rebound from an initial shot although time had expired just as he was setting to shoot.

Sandusky did get the third Saxon goal at the start of the second quarter when the junior managed to adjust well to Lundeen’s low pass from behind the cage then sweep in high over Kawchak for the close-in score. The Westfield netkeeper was kept busy, next by adventurous longstick defenders coming into the attack  — first by senior Thomas Robinson out of the following face-off, then by senior Robbie Bennett — but both saw the efforts blocked.

Kawchak could not keep out the following three bids, however, as Bailey supplied a natural hat-trick to double Langley’s scoring output within a three-minute span. The first was end-product of a bold cross-crease pass from Lundeen that allowed Bailey to finish with ease from the doorstep of the crease. The Saxon senior next dodged past his defensive mark, who fell down in the process, to drill in from eight yards, then finished his goal trio using another dodge maneuver to shoot in from close range just past the four-minute mark of the second period.
 
The action was not all one-way, however, and Spivey needed a quick move and his own goalie mask to thank for deflecting an attempt bound for the upper corner of his net. The Bulldogs then managed sustained ball control in the attack through the middle of the second quarter, getting shots from O’Sullivan, Angle and senior middie Eric Alter, but the efforts either bounced wide or were steered off-target by Spivey.

The Langley keeper saved well again late in the period when he alertly charged from goalmouth to cancel out the shooting options for the advancing Angle, who was unable to collect the loose ball while Spivey was sprawled out a couple yards in front of his crease amidst the scramble for possession.

The Westfield senior finally did get one past Spivey into net from five yards out, with an assist to Fischer, with just under 16 seconds to go in the first half, but not before a snapshot goal from Byrne at the end of a sturdy run through the Bulldog defenses put the Saxons up by six less than four minutes earlier. 

Byrne added his second — this rifled in from six yards and the 8-2 score-line –  in the closing moments of a third quarter that featured some sustained attack from both sides with solid defending and goalkeeping stifling all scoring chances other than the late-quarter strike.

The Westfield offense got on track again early in the fourth quarter and tested Langley defenses more frequently. O’Sullivan shot wide after getting set up nicely by Coughlin, then Spivey was forced to scramble again in the crease area to recover from a reaction block on a second Bulldog assault on net.  Saxon junior defender Brenden Dwyer had to come to the rescue soon after to claim possession on a deflected shot and run clear to relieve some of the mounting Westfield attacking pressure.

O’Sullivan then ignited an energetic comeback bid by the Bulldogs when the sophomore cannoned in low from 12 yards out less than four minutes into the period with Fischer earning his second assist of the evening on the play. A Westfield man-advantage from a tripping infraction by Langley set the stage for a quick second in succession less than 30 seconds after O’Sullivan’s strike, and only ten seconds into the advantage. Coughlin was provider this time, with the Bulldog junior drilling in from just outside the crease.     

Lundeen did get some of the action to go the other way shortly after the ensuing face-off but the senior’s hopeful shot, set up by a timely pass from Robinson, trickled just wide of the goalmouth with Fawchak not positioned well for a direct save.

Westfield closed within three goals when Fischer slipped in an unassisted shot from ten yards only 30 seconds later. Fawchak was called upon to keep out a goal-bound volley from Robinson soon after the following face-off, but Fischer was soon at work again in the attack. The Bulldog junior contributed a second less than a minute after his first goal, with this last strike surely unnerving the Saxons, having seen their six-goal margin swiftly dwindle to two with more than six minutes remaining in the final period. 

Westfield had one more yet to put by Spivey, but it was not the next goal to be scored. Ahearn had other ideas when he accepted a fine set-up pass from Byrne and netted a three-yarder past Fawchak to grab a vital ninth for Langley that restored its bulwark against further revival of the ambitious Bulldogs.

Esposito produced the final goal of the night — the second of the game for the Westfield junior — but that was not enough to loosen the Saxons’ grip on the game. Sharp passing and aggressive running in possession as time wound down on the Bulldogs kept the door open for Langley in its march to the region final.   

May 20, 2010 — For the second year running the Langley Saxons brought closure to the boys lacrosse season of the Chantilly Chargers, what to many with good reason would seem an undeserved exit for a talented and well-coached Chargers squad when two rounds of regional playoff action and the state tournament have yet to take place.

The Saxons (16-1) outpaced their visitors from Chantilly in a tense, 9-7 Northern Region quarterfinal contest at Langley this past Thursday evening to advance to a semifinal clash against the Westfield Bulldogs (12-3), winners on Thursday over the Washington-Lee Generals.

The second-round, region tourney defeat for the Chargers leaves them to reflect on a respectable, 11-5 season that stalled just a game shy of the stage for claiming a spot in the region final and earning a berth in the state tournament.    

What amounted to a sparring match between finalists in last year’s overtime drama that brought the 2009 state title to Langley, the see-saw battle this past week featured four lead changes and a goal margin no greater than one for all but five minutes of game time. The first two quarters concluded with the score tied at 2 and 5, respectively, and even the 8-7 edge for the Saxons at the start of the final period did little to convince there was really anything to separate the two sides as the encounter progressed to its final phases.

But Langley defenses held firm, and the hosts were able to play out the remainder with a slim lead bolstered by a late insurance goal that settled Saxon nerves.

Langley attackers accounted for seven goals, including three from Ethan Bailey, a pair from Sean Ahearn, and single goals from Jack Lundeen and Jack Sandusky, while middies Jack Curry and Ryan Miller netted one a piece.  Middie Joe Marson and attacker Luke Bowers each provided two for Chantilly, which also got single scores from attacker Brendan Waters and middies Cole Fitzgerald and Jared Golden.
      
Ryan Long provided first half goal-tending for Langley and was credited with seven saves while fellow Saxon Andrew Spivey made six saves in the second half. Matt Brandenburg went the distance in net for the Chargers making 11 saves along the way.      

Big-game jitters rumpled play going both ways in the early going. Chantilly lost an early possession as result of an avoidable failure to advance, then launched some poor passes that went out-of-bounds, while Langley was guilty of a careless offsides infraction plus some poor clearances of its own — one too easily going out-of-bounds and a second comfortably intercepted.  

Amidst the salt of unforced errors, however, was some peppery play-making, including the maneuver that produced the opening goal less than two minutes into the contest. Bailey managed a meandering run with possession through his attack area that led to the Saxon senior curling around the crease from behind the cage to fire in past Bradenburg for the early lead. Marson then replied less than two minutes later with an unassisted effort from eight yards to even the score.

Fitzgerald collaborated with Bowers just past the seven-minute mark of the game to grab the lead for the Chargers. The Chantilly sophomores worked close in, with the former earning the assist on his set-up pass and the latter providing a cool finish from the doorstep of Long’s crease.

Langley launched some return fire soon out of the follow-up face-off when defender Robbie Bennett charged into attack, but the senior longpoleman’s outside shot was partially blocked by Bradenburg. The carom popped up kindly for Lundeen lurking near the crease although the Charger goalie forced the Saxon senior into a hasty snapshot that sailed just over the target.

Lundeen was more successful only 20 seconds after the re-start when he picked out Ahearn with a quick pass allowing the sophomore time and space to deposit past the Chantilly senior and tie the game.

Bradenburg was busy again a minute later when he denied Lundeen with a fine point-blank reaction save, this after Langley senior defender Thomas Robinson embarked on a transition fast break and supplied a feeding pass to his attackman at the doorstep. The Charger goalie then parried a promising shot from five yards by Bailey late in the opening quarter, which ended at 2-2.

The teams exchanged blows and the lead during a lively second period but the duel was level at 5 at the close of the first half as a result of a Golden equalizer with just under a minute remaining before the break. The Chantilly junior flicked in over Long when left wide open just outside the goal crease at the end of some confident passing in the buildup.

The Chargers had gone ahead early in the second quarter when Waters cashed in on a man-advantage situation that carried over from the very end of the first period. The senior struck from 10 yards with his shot sneaking in low between Long’s feet after an assisting pass from Chantilly senior attacker Kevin Egan had set up the scorer nicely for the extra-man goal.       

Bradenburg displayed some top-shelf goalkeeping when he kept senior Joey Byrne from striking after the Langley senior had been set up by a Lundeen service pass. The Charger netminder provided yet another bit of quality shot-blocking when he employed a kick-save to keep out a menacing shot from Lundeen, but not before Bailey had spun away from his defensive mark and tied matters for the Saxons less than a minute earlier with a bounce shot from eight yards that found its way in past Bradenburg. Miller regained the lead for Langley shortly after the kick-save, with the Saxon senior rolling in a low short from ten yards out off of an assist from Bailey.

Longpole defenders showed well as the quarter progressed. Brenden Dwyer executed a timely intercept of a Chantilly pass behind the Langley cage during build-up of a man-advantage attack by the Chargers. The Saxon junior initiated a shorthanded attack that offered Bailey a good look at Bradenburg’s goal but his shot only caromed in front of net and trickled through the crease area missing narrowly. Chantilly defender Travis Abatemarco matched Dwyer’s earlier effort when the Charger smartly intercepted a Bailey pass headed for a Langley teammate stationed in front of Bradenburg. The senior longstickman then proceeded into a rapid transition attack only to see his rifled shot saved by Long.

Long was alert about a minute later when Bowers excited the crowd with a hopeful, behind-the-back snapshot on net that the Saxon goalie snared just in time. The Langley junior was unable, however, to stop a more conventional goal bid by Bowers that tied the game yet again, the end product of a swift passing sequence that produced Bowers second goal of the evening and earned Chantilly junior attacker Craig Penman a deserved assist. Sandusky nudged Langley ahead for the third time less than a minute later when the junior wheeled around his defending opponent after emerging from behind the goal-line-extended to fire in past Bradenburg, although the 5-4 lead did not survive Golden’s goal and the close of the first half.    

Fitzgerald went to work quickly at the start of second-half play to give his Chargers another lead when he edged away from the close checking of Bennett to launch an unassisted strike from seven yards out. The Saxons this time answered with a three-goal barrage within a three-minute span that generated the first two-goal lead of the night. Curry’s 12-yard blast seemed to glance off Bradenburg’s stick on its way into the net to tie the game at 6, with Lundeen getting the assist on the Langley senior’s goal.  Bailey then completed his hat-trick about two minutes later with a bounce shot from six yards that was set up by a Bennett steal and run into attack leading to an assisting pass from the defender.  

The first two-goal lead arrived with Ahearn’s second goal of the evening and came out of a rare miscue from Bradenburg, who had possession near the out-of-bounds line but under Saxon riding pressure spotted a Chantilly defender for a long, cross-field pass that sailed well beyond its target. The errant pass allowed Bailey to challenge for possession, then break toward goal with little interference and an unmarked Ahearn, who supplied the easy finish into the open net.  

Marson pulled one goal back for the Chargers when the senior’s five-yarder out of a crowd of defenders slipped past Spivey, who had come in to replace Long for second-half keeper duties. This shaved the Langley advantage to one again, and with nearly 18 minutes of game time remaining, the chances of a fight-back still looked good. Yet this turned out to be the very last Chantilly could get past the Saxon goalie on this night.  

A couple of extra-man opportunities offered the Chargers some hope but neither produced an equalizer. On the first, Bennett blocked a shot attempt, collected the groundball and initiated ball possession into the attack area to **** much of the man advantage. A series of Chantilly shots — from Marson, Bowers, Egan, Waters and junior middie Devon Westerman — tested Spivey but the shots either sailed wide or were grabbed by the sophomore netminder. Attacker Kyle O’Connor came close early in the fourth quarter but the Charger junior’s shot hit the post and bounced wide of any danger.

Chantilly faltered again when tight man marking by Langley on an attempted clear by Bradenburg forced the Charger goalie to hesitate too long and suffer a failure-to-advance call. The loss of possession was made more costly soon after when Lundeen snapped in from five yards to put the Saxons up by two again, calming the nerves of the Langley supporters with a much-welcomed cushion with less than five minutes of game-time remaining.  Ball control for nearly the remainder of the battle limited what few chances Chantilly could muster in the closing minutes and assured the Saxons a path to the region tournament semi-final round.  

May 15, 2010 — Two late-game goals and commanding possession in the closing minutes proved to be the difference for the Langley Saxons in securing a slim 10-9 victory and Liberty District top honors in boys lacrosse at the expense of a hard-working Madison Warhawk team this past Saturday evening at Marshall High School.

A hat-trick from Saxon attacker Ethan Bailey, who got the game-winner, and a pair from middie Joey Byrne canceled out the four-goal haul of Madison attacking sharpshooter Will Cybulski. While Warhawk freshman goalie Matt Hayden contributed a stellar performance in net to keep his side close, Langley’s troops had the last word and slimmest of winning edge as the final horn blared.  

The district title is a third straight for the 2009 Northern Region and State champs, and the second in succession in a final against Madison, which suffered an 11-8 defeat last year.

The win also completed a clean sweep by the Saxons against all Liberty District opponents this season, the first time for Langley going back to at least 1998, if not the first time ever for the Saxons since the district’s inaugural year in 1993.

In addition to goals from Bailey and Byrne, Saxon attacker Sean Ahearn, middies Ryan Miller, Luke Salzer, Troy Scharfen, and defender Robbie Bennett provided one each, the latter a pivotal, momentum-shifting equalizer coming in the fourth quarter. Madison senior middie John Groce netted twice while senior middies Kyle Headley and Eric Roland, and senior attacker Steve Brenyo, had single goals to go with Cybulski’s four.    

Ryan Long and Andrew Spivey shared goal-tending chores for Langley and were credited with five and 11 saves in the first and second halves of the game played, respectively, while Hayden guarded the crease for the Warhawks throughout and came up with 11 saves.

Both sides came into the contest in rich vein of form. The Saxons (14-1), having beaten Marshall and South Lakes to get to district final, were riding an 11-game win streak since their only loss thus far this campaign — an early-season overtime set-back to out-of-region Loudoun Valley — and had assembled undefeated runs of 12 games against Liberty District opponents and 21 games against Northern Region foes since a regular season overtime defeat to Madison in April 2009. For their part, the Warhawks (11-6) dispatched Mclean and South Bridge to grab a berth in the playoff final and had prevailed in nine match-ups involving Northern Region teams since falling to West Springfield in late March. Their three defeats during that span all came against powerful private school teams — St. Albans, Landon and Georgetown Prep.   

Saturday’s clash closely followed the script for recent Saxon-Warhawk battles, with this edition featuring six lead changes, lively transition play and an outcome that remained unsettled until very late. A first-quarter surge by Langley generated a three-goal lead that evaporated during a second quarter dominated largely by Cybulski, whose fourth of the night gave the Warhawks a 7-6 advantage to close out the first half of play. Madison enjoyed that one-goal advantage until nearly the middle of the third quarter, and pushed ahead again early in the final period with a lead that held until seven minutes remaining in regulation time. But clutch goal-scoring and a sustained stretch of ball control in their attack half for the last three minutes of game time saw the Saxons through to the finish line with the one-goal margin.   

A couple of strikes from Langley’s Bailey on each side of goals from Warhawks Groce and Cybulski got the match rolling early in the first quarter. The Saxons grabbed the lead for the second time with little more than three minutes left in the opening period when Byrne finished from close range off of an assisting pass from Scharfen after the Langley junior had set the scoring play in motion with a steal and long transition run into attack.

Byrne was busy again from the following face-off, and quickly got a shot off that was well-saved by Hayden. The Saxon senior was more successful less than a minute later, however, when he was the recipient of a sublime behind-the-back, no-look pass from Bailey, who had attracted the attention of several Madison defenders leaving Byrne free to work Hayden from close range for the easy score.

The Warhawks came close to getting their third as the first quarter was winding down when Gordon Bailey worked around the close checking of Langley junior defender Brenden Dwyer to get off a shot from just outside the crease, but the senior middie’s effort was sufficiently impeded allowing Long to collect the goal-bound attempt. This was launch point of a fast break in the other direction that resulted in Ahearn snapping in from four yards for the Saxon’s fifth with just six seconds left in the opening period.     

Langley looked to have increased their lead early in the second quarter but a crease violation ruled out what would have created a persuasive 6-2 goal margin. This may have been the warning sign Madison needed to stir its offense. The Warhawks’ Bailey hit the pipe from a wide angle shortly after, but neither the goal-frame nor Long could keep out Cybulski’s next two shots — the first coming when the senior emerged from a scrum with the ball to fire in from five yards, and the second, on a bounce shot from 12 yards after Madison had executed an impressive stretch of possession that was justly rewarded with the attacker’s third of the night.

Headley tied the game at 5 with less than four minutes remaining in the half, this just after Hayden crafted a fabulous point-blank save on a close-in shot from Ahearn to preserve the one-goal difference at the time.  

Miller regained the lead for the Saxons less than a minute later when the senior converted a short pass from senior attacker Jack Lundeen, but Roland put the game on level terms again within 30 seconds. The Warhawk had his initial shot saved, then was quick to intercept Long’s hasty clearing attempt and promptly deposit past the Langley junior for the score.
      
Cybulski delivered his fourth of the night, and the lead once again for Madison, with a little more than a minute remaining in the first half. The Saxons then came close to tying the game again before halftime but Hayden produced a superb block of a close-in shot from Ahearn at the end of a rapid sequence of crisp passing from Byrne, Bailey and Lundeen.

Spivey came in as replacement for Long at the start of second-half play and was put to work early, blocking one Madison shot that led to a wild scramble just outside the his crease area. The loose ball somehow found its way to the Warhawks’ Bailey lurking for the easy strike, but the sophomore goalie popped up to snare the close-range attempt.

Hayden was soon forced into some difficult saves at the other end on promising shots from Ahearn and senior middie Bryan Clubb, but then could not keep out Scharfen’s unassisted, game-tying bounce shot from 15 yards out midway through the third period. Bailey then saw his rifled offering sail just over Hayden’s cage shortly after the ensuing face-off, which was prelude to Salzer’s strike moments later when Byrne set up the freshman to sling in from 10 yards out giving Langley the 8-7 lead.

The Saxons were unable to carry the lead into the last quarter, and the stage was set for a nervy finish, when Brenyo supplied an equalizer with less than a minute left in the period, firing in after receiving a fine feed pass from Madisons’ Bailey working behind the cage.

The Warhawks grabbed their third lead of the game less than two minutes into the final quarter went Groce furnished his second of the night snapping in high and to the right past Spivey, with an assist from Cybulski. Langley was awarded an extra-man opportunity one minute later but Hayden was equal to the one serious, on-target shot attempt from Bailey the Saxons could muster during their man-advantage.    

When Ahearn’s scoring bid hit the pipe about a minute later it looked as though Madison had its Liberty rival solved on this night. But Bennett had other ideas when he managed to gain control in his defensive zone and embarked on an end-to-end run through the scattered Warhawk resistance. The senior longpoleman found just enough space to mount an attack and deliver a cracking goal to tie the game with little more than seven minutes remaining in regulation time.

The Langley goal-scorer was busy again on the wing for the following face-off, which was handily won by Madison’s Jack Rowe.  Bennett stifled the senior middie’s rapid move into attack along the sideline, coaxing him out of bounds for the timely turnover. Less than a minute later, the Saxons went on top for good when Bailey recorded his third of the game, this game-winner an unassisted blast at a sharp angle from 10 yards out.  

With almost half a quarter of time remaining and down by only one the Warhawks still showed belief and determination. Rowe raced into attack after winning the face-off, and had his sights on setting up a teammate nicely near the crease but the alert Dwyer stepped in at the right moment to intercept the hopeful pass and stifle the assault on Spivey’s goal.

A double man-advantage for Langley with about five minutes to go — this for an illegal check and a conduct infringement on Madison — eased the pressure on the Saxon defenses, but a sustained series of assured passing for ball possession by the Langley offensive corps in the attack zone during the last three minutes of play is what deprived the Warhawks of any real chance of mounting a scoring reply that would have likely pushed the encounter into overtime.

May 18, 2010 — The Saxons confirmed that theirs would be relatively smooth path to the second round of the Northern Region boys lacrosse playoffs this year with a comfortable, 18-1 win over the visiting Edison Eagles of the National District last Tuesday evening at Marshall High School.

By game’s end the score-sheet started to resemble a roll call for the Langley squad, with 11 different players finding the back of the net for the green-and-gold. The Liberty District champs took a 5-0 lead into the second quarter, and although a persistent Eagles squad managed to peg one back at the start of the second period, the remainder of proceedings was directed by the Saxons, who forged a 12-1 half-time advantage and added another half-dozen without reply during the second half.

Jacks were wild this night, as two Langley attackmen –  senior Jack Lundeen and junior Jack Sandusky — each recorded a hat-trick, while senior middie Jack Curry pitched in with a pair. Senior Ethan Bailey and sophomore Sean Ahearn both netted a couple as well from the attack position, in addition to single goals from sophomores Jared Larsen and Josh Sibio. Three other Saxon middies — seniors Joey Byrne and Bryan Clubb, and sophomore Clay Rivers — supplied a goal a piece, as did senior defender Thomas Robinson.

Freshman attacker Dean Jester accounted for the sole Edison goal, with an assist credited to junior attacker Greg Smith.  

Ryan Long and Andrew Spivey had five and four saves, respectively, in net for Langley with the two splitting crease duties by halves. Eagle sophomore Jacob Broome, by far the busiest goalie during the contest, was credited with 10 saves.

Coach Earl Brewer will next see his Saxons (15-1) confront the Chantilly Chargers (11-4) in a region quarterfinal play-off battle at Langley on Thursday evening, a match-up of opponents in last year’s state final that went Langley’s way in a 4-3, overtime thriller.

Edison ends its 2010 campaign with an overall record of 6-9, its best since going 7-6 in 2003 and much improved over the last few years.                    

* Selections were made by the Northern Region coaches.

** Number in parenthesis reflect the previous weeks’ ranking.

* Selections were made by the Northern Region coaches.

** Number in parenthesis reflect the previous weeks’ ranking.