Drama Kings: Wildcats Give Up Lead, Win in Overtime

It was just like boys lacrosse head coach Mike Fay taught it, except the complete opposite.

No matter how it looked, the result was still the same – a game-winning overtime goal for Trevor Foley.

Tewksbury erased a three-goal deficit in the final six minutes on Friday, including a tally with less than one second remaining in regulation to tie the score. But Foley swatted home a loose ball right off the ground rather than scooping it up, and the Wildcats earned a dramatic 12-11 road victory.

“It’s funny because I team them to pick the ball up and don’t flick it,” said Fay, whose charges are now 5-2 on the year. “(Foley is) a hockey player, and his tendency is to make the play and win the game. We’re fortunate.”

Foley now owns two overtime winners after he notched his .

Ryan Kennedy’s goal with 6:05 remaining in the fourth put the game seemingly out of reach with an 11-8 Wildcat advantage. But the Redmen scored with 2:52 left, setting the stage for an impressive offensive performance from Zach Jacobs.

Jacobs was tripped up with 29 seconds left, but as he staggered towards the goal he fired home a shot to bring his team within a single tally. After Tewksbury won the ensuing faceoff and called a time out, Jacobs planted himself behind the goal as the seconds began to tick off the clock.

With less than 10 seconds to play he made his move towards the cage, was met with resistance, but put a shot on goal that found the back of the net with a single tick left in regulation.

“They showed a lot of grit to get back in the game and get it to overtime,” said Redmen mentor Tom Carpenilo. “What we can’t do in situations like this with teams that match up with us well like Wilmington does is get behind by three goals. That’s something you can’t do in lacrosse. Then you have to have that sense of urgency, you double the ball and that’s a position you don’t want to be in.”

Foley’s game-winner, his fifth goal of the game, came with 55 seconds to play in the extra session. Both teams ran offensive sets in overtime, and Wilmington goalie Adam Siegel turned away multiple clean scoring chances to keep his team alive.

With the win, Wilmington improved to 5-2 on the season, by far its best start in the program’s young history. Tewksbury, meanwhile, dropped to 1-4 on the season with the setback.

“They could have went into a shell after giving up three goals at the end of the game. These guys came, they played, they worked hard and their confidence never waned,” said Fay. “The first thing I told them in the huddle was that we have a lot to work on Monday.”