Late Goal Lifts Vets to 6-5 Boys' Lacrosse Win Over Tiverton

A really tough one to lose.

The boys’ lacrosse team squandered a three-goal lead in the first half, recovered from a one-goal deficit in the fourth period, then allowed a score in the final 30 seconds of play Tuesday night and lost to visiting Warwick Vets High School, 6-5, in an exciting Division III match.

Chris Deignan netted three goals and Mike Whalen added two scores, but it was a goal by Peter Marshall with 27 ticks remaining that made the difference.

After the Tigers wasted a one-man advantage and turned over possession in Vets’ end of the field, the Hurricanes counter-attacked in the closing minute of action. Although tightly defended by a Tiverton defender, Marshall moved to his left about 20 feet from the goal, planted and spun to his right, and fired a low bullet into the net which eluded the reach of Tiger keeper Evan McGreavy.

“Our players have many bad habits and we made some mistakes at critical points tonight,” Tiverton Coach Shane Parker said. “We had so many chances to make one more pass, but we didn’t. This is one of the few losses this year that was a good loss. We actually played lacrosse, I think, for the first time this season as a team.”

With its second win of the season over the Tigers, Vets improved to 4-2, while Tiverton dropped to 1-6.

The Hurricanes had rebounded from a 4-1 deficit in the second quarter to assume a 5-4 advantage early in the final period before the Tigers had knotted the count at 5-5 on a brilliant solo effort by Tiverton’s Jacob Albernaz with less than five minutes to play. With the clock winding down in the dying seconds, Albernaz got off a good shot from long distance which was knocked down in front of the net as the final horn sounded.

“We played together as a team tonight,” Parker said. “Until the end, we were passing it and always making that extra pass to find the open men. Then at the end of the game, we weren’t making that extra pass and we were trying to do too much on our own.”

Albernaz and Ken Welchman both finished with two goals Tiverton and Ben Sanford accounted for the other score. Welchman and Adam Lavoie were credited with assists while McGreavey turned aside 16 shots in net.

Utilizing their superior speed and quickness, the Tigers zoomed to a 3-1 lead after one period on Sanford’s tally and two goals by Welchman. Albernaz made it a 4-1 contest early in the second session before the Hurricanes countered with two late goals to draw to within 4-3 at halftime.

In the third period, Vets executed its patient and ball-control attack effectively, maintaining possession for lengthy periods of time. Deignan’s goal midway through the chapter forged a 4-4 deadlock and Deignan found the back of the net again early in the final session to give the ‘Canes a 5-4 edge.

The Tigers still trailed by a goal when Albernaz scooped up a loose ball on a turnover deep in Vets’ territory and while falling to the ground, beat keeper John McNally (9 saves) with a dazzling shot to produce a 5-5 deadlock.

Tiverton will be idle until May 11 when it travels to .