SUDBURY — For two quarters, No.6 Xaverian and its dynamic goalie Mike Toomey more than held their own on the road and in the drizzle against top-ranked Lincoln-Sudbury, but the Warriors served noticed in the final half that they have more than enough tools at their disposal to dismantle even the sturdiest of brick walls on their way to a 13-8 win.
“We didn’t shoot that well in the first half, but he made some terrific saves,” said L-S coach Brian Vona of the fearless Hawks netminder, who had 16 saves. “I thought he was the difference in the game and I thought he was the best player in the game to be honest.”
Senior Connor McCarthy (4 goals) and junior Jack Sutherland led the well-rounded attack for the Warriors (9-2), who were coming off a tough loss over the weekend in New Jersey to nationally ranked Summit High. Sean Sperzel and Sam Jean had three strikes each for the Hawks (6-5), who took a 4-1 lead early into the second quarter.
The game may have turned in the final seconds of the half when L-S’s Eric Holden scored off a laser with just 10 seconds left out of a timeout to make it a 4-4 contest at the break. The defending state champs then seized control in the third quarter dominating possession thanks to McCarthy, Holden and Co. up front, and Junior Almeida in the faceoff circle.
“Junior really makes us go and he did a terrific job today,” Vona lauded of his tenacious faceoff specialist, Almeida, who won virtually every faceoff. “When we have the ball and we have the kids that we have we should have a solid outcome.”
In a third quarter that saw the Warriors outshoot the visitors, 17-9, L-S scored five times to take a 9-6 lead into the final frame. Bookend goals in the final quarter by the Princeton-bound McCarthy put an exclamation not only on the contest, but also on why Vona thinks the overpowering midfielder ranks among the very best around.
“He’s one of the best players in the state and he was this good last year, but he was not able to play that much because he was hurt,” said Vona. “He’s a tough kid and a skilled kid.”