MORGANTOWN – Last night, on the frozen tundra of Morgantown’s Pony Lewis Field…okay, it wasn’t THAT cold for the boys lacrosse match between MHS and Fairmont Senior, but mid-40s and windblown rain made for miserable conditions.
For the top-ranked Mohigans, two straight out-of-state losses to South Fayette (Pa.) and John Glenn (Oh.) added some concern to the misery, especially with the strong, third-ranked Polar Bears in the house.
In a game filled with hard hits, momentum swings, great saves, and gorgeous goals, Morgantown shook off a second-quarter slump and dominated the second half to beat Fairmont Senior, 18-9.
It took less than 30 seconds for prolific MHS senior attacker Ayden Shepard to put the Mohigans (7-2) in the lead. After fellow senior Jacob Hollander won the face-off (Hollander finished 17-13 on the night), he fed Shepard, who scooped a low shot past FSHS (5-2) goalie Noah Moran. The Polar Bears bounced a shot in three minutes later to tie the score, then three quick goals from Shepard (a power move from behind the net and another scoop shot), Luke Quigley (a perfect fast break tic-tac-toe goal), and Anthony Vessecchia boosted the Mohigans to a 4-1 advantage. Each team traded goals twice late in the quarter, leaving MHS up 6-3.
Then, the doldrums started for the home team. Fairmont Senior scored early, then MHS frittered away a two-minute man-up opportunity with sloppy play and poor shot selection. When the Polar Bears killed it off and scored right after to pull within one, Morgantown needed a response, and they got one late from Quigley. With just over a minute to play, he took a feed from senior middie Evan Burton and rifled a low corner shot from 15 yards out that just barely dribbled over the line.
“That goal was a big one for us,” MHS coach Jeremy Bennett revealed after the game. “It helped to stop their momentum, stop the bleeding a little bit, and restored a two-goal cushion heading into the break.”
Perhaps it was Quigley’s key late goal, or some patented motivational messaging from Bennett. Still, the Mohigans roared out of the gate in the second half with a spirited bench and some excellent lacrosse. Another Hollander face-off win led to another quick goal, this one by Quigley in transition, and when a goalie muffed a pass, it gave senior Nathan Lindsey an abandoned net goal. Shepard scored on a diving scoop in front, MHS was off and running, and would not be caught. Lindsey scored on a beautiful behind-the-back, over-the-shoulder shot. Shepard faked three times before pumping in a fastbreak goal, and those two teamed up on a nifty behind-the-net shovel pass that surprised the defense, allowing Lindsey to walk in front untouched.
Up 13-7 heading into the final quarter, Shepard continued his prolific night with a wild goal 39 seconds in. He sprinted out from his favorite spot behind the net, leaped high, and fired a one-handed shot between his legs that found the corner while facing away from the goal. It was never close after that, as the Mohigans scored four more (Shepard’s 7th, Nathan Ross, Vessecchia, and Aidan Stire), and two late goals from Fairmont Senior didn’t dampen the victory.
“Yeah, I practice moves like that all the time,” Shepard grinned when describing his ridiculous goal. “It kind of puts it into muscle memory, and when you’re in that flow state, and you’re feeling it, moves like that come out sometimes. We needed this one, and after half time, our bench really picked when we got one early. We picked up our physicality and intensity, and that’s how we need to play.”
Bennett agreed that his team was ready to refocus.
“Two tough losses in a row will challenge any team,” he said, “and how they respond determines the team they will become. I thought we played hard all game long, but we always play hard. What I was happiest with tonight was our resilience, how we responded to the breaks of the game. Lucky or unlucky bounces and tough calls from officials happen every game, and they are really out of your control. What you can control is your focus, energy, attention to detail, and execution, and we did that well tonight, especially at the end of the first half and throughout the rest of the game.
“That,” he concluded, “was a good, solid win against a good, solid team, one that we can build on for sure.”
The Mohigans host John Marshall on Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
