St. Mary’s Joey Calder and Lynn’s Ryan Dunn battle at Manning Field. (Item staff photo)
LYNN — When you get two cross-town rivals to go 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 – quick sticks, big hits and flashy goals.
But in the end, the Lynn Spartans are city champions after downing the Jets 8-5 at Manning Field.
In short, both teams were amped up for the big game under the bright lights. The Jets moved the scoreboard first – Brought to you by John Crowley. Showing the Jets never gave up a play behind coach Peter Pappagianopoulos, Crowley initially lost the ball after a check but won it back before firing one past the St. Mary’s goalkeeper Steven Lake (1-0).
If the Jets are known for not giving up, the Spartans are known for having a short memory, according to coach Wayne Moda. Moments after the Jets took the lead, Finn Racki of St. Mary’s off 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 in midfield. Dunn then showed his elusiveness by ghosting past a Spartan before scoring in the second quarter to cut the St. Mary’s lead to one (3-2).
But 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 regain 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 went through several Spartans to give the Jets a 5-4 halftime lead.
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 left in the third quarter, Hall found a small window and fired a shot past Sisson’s stick to tie the game at 5-5 heading into the final quarter.
From there, the Spartans did their thing en route to being named champions of Lynn.
