Atoms Can't Recreate Semifinal Magic, Fall to Chantilly in Northern Region Final

Just when Annandale appeared poised to recreate the last second heroics that got them past Robinson and into the Northern Region final, Chantilly proved why they belong at the top. The Chargers withstood a second half rally by the Atoms just long enough on Thursday to earn a 12-11 win and their second regional title in four years, as well as in the history of their program.

Daniel DeCenzo scored three goals, the last of which proved to be the game winner, Craig Penman added three more and All-American Devon Westerman had a goal and two assists, but it was a late defensive effort that preserved the victory. With the score 11-10 midway through the fourth quarter and the Annandale defense focusing on Westerman, DeCenzo wound up alone and walked in from the left side of the cage to put Chantilly up by two. The Chargers managed to run over two minutes off the clock after that, but the Atoms finally gathered possession and called timeout with 1:02 remaining.

It was all eerily similar to the Atoms’ rally in the final 49 seconds against Robinson in the semifinals last week. This time around, Ryan Miller found Nick Lalande for a score with 53 seconds remaining, but Jake Dansey knocked down a pass on Annandale's next possession, and the Chantilly defense was able to prolong the scrum for the ground ball on the ensuing face off long enough that even when the Atoms finally gained control in their own end of the field with 14 seconds left, Zach Lalande was unable to get a shot off before time expired. After the game, Chantilly head coach Kevin Broderick had nothing but praise for Annandale.

“They're a great team, they're very talented,” he said. “We scrimmage these guys every year, we play them in fall ball, so we knew the firepower they had. I thought we were the underdogs.”

While both teams had already punched their tickets to the Virginia State AAA/AA tournament, Chantilly now has the advantage of hosting a quarterfinal game. With the semis and finals at nearby Westfield, the Chargers have a favorable road to their second state title.

“It feels good,” Westerman said of the win. “We have goals, and we’re slowly completing them. We still have one more to go [at states], so I’m satisfied with where we are now, but we still have a long way to go.”

Annandale dug itself into an uncharacteristic hole in the early going. Chantilly led 5-0 before Zach Lalande finally put the Atoms on the board with 1:28 left in the first quarter. The sophomore scored again in the opening seconds of the second quarter, and Annandale pulled within 6-4 before the Chargers responded. Cole Fitzgerald capped a 3-0 run to end the first half when he sent a laser past Joe Bermingham with 15 seconds left to give Chantilly its largest lead of the game at 9-4.

Bermingham began to settle down in the second half and finished with eight saves, and a sequence early in the third quarter seemed to reinvigorate Annandale. Bermingham made two saves in quick succession, and dove to stop another shot a minute later. Defenseman Peter Hagen took the ensuing clear the length of the field and scored, and Stephen Craig and Nate Miller each added two more during a 5-2 that cut the deficit to one goal at 11-10 for the first time since it was 1-0. Nate Miller finished with three goals, brother Ryan added two goals and two assists and Craig finished with a goal and two assists.

“It was tough,” Annandale head coach Bill Maglisceau said of getting behind early. “We’re used to jumping out on teams, and they jumped out on us. I knew our guys would respond, but they got goals when it counted in the second half and were able to keep that cushion. We did what we could, it just didn’t go our way tonight.”

Westerman said his team was well aware of what happened to Robinson last Thursday and was determined not to suffer the same fate.

“Going into the huddle in those last two minutes, we specifically pointed out that they did come back on Robinson and we had to be smart about it,” Westerman said. “We had to get the groundball and push it to the offense, and we told them the offense would get the game over with.”

The Atoms will travel to the Region II champions either Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4. Region II is a collection of AA level schools generally in northwest Virginia but also stretching down to the lacrosse hotbed of Charlottesville and points south. The title game between Briar Woods (Ashburn) and E.C. Glass (Lynchburg) will be played tomorrow. Chantilly meanwhile, will host the Northwest Region champion. Battlefield (Haymarket) and Albemarle (Charlottesville) will play in one semifinal tomorrow, and Osbourne Park (Manassas) and Patrick Henry (Roanoke) will face off in a third game. The winner of that matchup will advance to the state playoffs.