Henry Clay Recap | 5-3-13

May. 9, 2013

On Friday, 5/3/13, Lexington’s Henry Clay visited CAL for the final regular season match.   Rated #2 in the state, Clay came in with an 11-0 record and an average margin of victory of 15 goals. 

On paper, this contest might appear to be a mismatch. CAL didn’t read that paper and instead this game was played out like a bout with two heavyweights going toe-to-toe. 

After two Clay goals to start the game, CAL countered and Andrew Frey continued his hot streak netting two for the Centurions to tie the game 2-2. The 2^nd quarter saw more hard hitting action and great lacrosse by both teams. CAL had a number of close shots; several even “hitting pipe” and ricocheting off the goal.  Halftime arrived with CAL behind 4-2. 

In the 3^rd quarter things started to get electric. First, thunder in the area forced a 30 minute delay in the game. After this break, Clay came out ready to play and added to more goals putting CAL behind 6-2. Rather than settle back, the Centurions dug deep and put together an inspiring rally that shocked the Clay squad. Trent Erps hit a break-away, unassisted goal and the crowd could sense the momentum was shifting. Mason Paas scored again with his D-pole to pull CAL closer with a score of 6-4. Clay called a timeout to regroup, but CAL thwarted their plans with another Erps breakaway goal and the quarter ended at 6-5. 

The fourth quarter started with yet another blazing goal from Frey and the game was tied at 6-6. The two teams continued to battle, each attacking and countering with both power and finesse. In an evenly fought match, the margins between victory and defeat and be miniscule. This was the case as CAL shots just missed the net and “hit pipe” or took unlucky bounces. Several Clay shots somehow were able to trickle through for scores. In the end CAL lost 8-6, but the squad can take great pride in giving a highly rated team their toughest match of the season. 

Next up for CAL Lacrosse is the District Tournament Championship game at CAL this Thursday at 7:30pm. Please come out and support your team!