Sports
River Dell Boys Lacrosse Wins In Overtime Thriller
Hawks come from behind to defeat Old Tappan and keep playoff hopes alive
River Dell boys lacrosse team is showing it knows the meaning of teamwork...and patience.
Its thrilling 11-10 come-from-behind overtime victory over Old Tappan on Saturday was proof of that.
“This was a big win,” said Coach Brian Rendine. “We’re a young team with only four seniors and a lot of freshmen and sophomores. It showed the guys that they’re able to battle back. It showed them that the game is not over when you think it’s over. There’s a full 48 minutes.”
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With the score knotted throughout the first two quarters, River Dell took a one-goal advantage in the third after Justin Kuchar scored twice and John Sherlock also hit the back of the net.
But the lead did not stand up. Connor Driscoll and Kyle Buckley each tallied in the fourth stanza for Old Tappan to give the Knights a 10-9 lead with less than a minute left to play.
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The Hawks took over possession with 44 seconds left when Coach Rendine called a time out. He brought his team to the sideline for a chance to settle down and set up some final offensive strategy.
They moved the ball around to Kevin Barry at the top, who ripped one by the goalie to tie the score at 10-10 with only 17 ticks remaining on the clock.
“I didn’t think it was going in,” exclaimed an exhuberant Barry. “I was going crazy. It felt good.”
Old Tappan was called for a holding penalty with 1:32 left in the overtime to give River Dell a man advantage. And Justin Kuchar took advantage, burying the game-winner for the Hawks just seven seconds later.
“It felt great to see that our team fought back,” Kuchar said. “I think that the real difference in this game was the intensity at the end. We just picked it up, played as a team and came out on top.”
Kuchar led the Hawks with four goals and an assist. Sherlock had three goals and a pair of assists.
Mike Neville scored twice. Alex Olenskyj scored a goal and Barry banged in the all-important, game-tying score.
Goalie Ben Sagerman, who played well, was credited with 14 saves.
The Hawks (7-6) will continue their drive toward making the state playoffs when the do battle with the Clifton Mustangs (5-6) at home on Monday at 5 p.m.
