After controlling most of the match, the Hiram Terriers men’s lacrosse team’s two-goal lead in the final minutes of the fourth period evaporated as Heidelberg pulled even to an 8-8 tie. Hiram recovered with a well-executed set play that resulted in it scoring the go-ahead goal in the final 30 seconds to prevail 9-8 for its first home victory last Saturday afternoon at Charles Henry Field.
“I think the boys did a good job of staying composed and having poise,” said Coach Jason Griffith. “This is probably the healthiest we have been all year, having just completed a four or five goal comeback on Tuesday it was very easy to calm down and get ready for the next face-off. When they drew up the play, they executed beautifully.”
The Terriers (2-5, 0-0) were on the verge of their second straight victory by holding an 8-6 advantage with 3:39 remaining in the fourth quarter but Heidelberg chipped away at their lead. After junior midfielder Rayce Septer scored off an assist from freshman attacker Colin Pakrer with 1:24 remaining, the Student Princes tied the match for the first time since the first quarter. Senior attacker Benjamin Evans found the back of the net with an assist from senior midfielder Jacob Morgan with 47 seconds left in regulation.
Hiram won the ensuing face-off and the second-year coach called time-out to draw up a play. He said that he wanted the Terriers to capitalize off Heidelberg’s zone defense and used senior attacker Trevor Nordstrom as the decoy to create room for senior attacker Ethan Mayer.
As Mayer made his move, Griffith said that Mayer noticed that senior midfielder Aaron Gardner’s defender was ball-watching which freed up Gardner, so he distributed the ball to his teammate and Gardner delivered the go-ahead goal with 20 seconds left on the clock, pushing Hiram ahead 9-8.
After only recording one shot on the goal in the entire match, Griffith said that Gardner’s off-ball movement improved in the fourth quarter, which set him up for the eventual game-winner.
“I thought he took a few too many high risk moves because he had more success against that with Anderson,” he noted. “He really dialed up his off-ball play in the fourth quarter and became a threat.”
Although the Student Princes won the face-off, junior defender Ethan Bitong forced a turnover and senior long-stick midfielder Gray Perry secured the ground ball to preserve the Terriers’ second consecutive victory.
After beginning the season with an 0-5 record, Griffith said that everything is starting to fall into place for a Hiram squad that has now captured victory in back-to-back thrillers.
“It is tough to start off 0-5,” he added. “Rallying around each other and staying focused on what was in front of us, we did a great job of beating a good team on the offensive and defensive side of the ball in these past two games.”
Griffith also commended his team for staying composed in the waning minutes in a match where it struggled to stay disciplined on defense, as the team was assessed eight penalties awarding Heidelberg eight possessions with an extra-man advantage. The Student Princes took advantage of those possessions at the start, by scoring their first three goals on man-up opportunities but Hiram extinguished the next five.
In the wake of graduating their two best scorers and suffering several key injuries on offense, the Terriers’ offense was silent in their first five contests, averaging only 2.3 goals per game.
Despite returning the bulk of its defense from last year including face-off specialist/midfielder Dom Harris and Perry, who missed time last year because of injury, Hiram turned to its defense to shoulder the load in its first few games and ultimately surrendered 72 goals.
“You know when the offense is down a couple of guys who are injured and cannot possess the ball, it just leads to more pressure on the defensive end,” he said. “Scores aside, when you watch the film they are doing everything they are supposed to be doing.”
As the Terriers are nearing full health, the offense has erupted for 20 goals over their last two matches.
“I think that the offensive guys and Coach Fitzsimmons have done a really good job of figuring out what each other’s roles are,” Griffith said. “I think we are only just going to improve as the season goes on.”
After a road game against La Roche University on Tuesday night, Hiram will begin play in the North Coast Athletic Conference by staying on the road and facing rival Ohio Wesleyan at Selby Stadium in Delaware on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
