Duxbury Falls to New Hampshire Power Bishop Guertin in 2OT

By Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports)

DUXBURY, Mass. - The Duxbury High School boys’ lacrosse team gave it their best effort on Wednesday, and their bout could have gone either way.

Ultimately, however, the Dragons came out on the short side of their annual battle with New Hampshire powerhouse Bishop Guertin (14-2). Despite a valiant comeback effort, Duxbury (14-5) fell, 9-8, in double overtime at home to cap off their regular season.

With 17 seconds remaining in the second overtime period, Cardinals midfielder Drew Hailey found the back of the net to give his team the winning score. While Hailey managed to put up the game-winner, he was met with serious resistance out in front of the Dragons net. Three Dragons defenders closed in on him just as he let go of his shot.

To make it into overtime at all took a clutch goal from senior attackman Bobby Maimaron. He launched in a score out in front of the net with one second remaining in regulation for the Dragons it, tying the game 8-8.

This marked the 11th straight year the Dragons and Cardinals have gone head-to-head. The Dragons won the first nine in a row, but the Cardinals have taken the last two in this budding rivalry.

“They’ve had our number for years and years,” Cardinals head coach Chris Cameron said. “We came out, we were playing well, then they started adjusting. I think they were playing doubles at our attack. We were finding guys. That was just a game of attrition. Once we hit overtime, that one could’ve gone either way, but that one of the worst losses in my coaching career.”

The Dragons took the loss, head coach Chris Sweet noted the importance of playing this inter-state rival annually.

“It’s really important,” he said. “We schedule them and they schedule us to finish out the regular season just for that reason. It’s two good teams, and we’re trying to gauge where we are headed into the playoffs.”

From the start, the two sides boasted their opposing strategies. On one side, the Dragons used a slow and methodical attack which involved heavy passing and, at times, circling around the net. The Cardinals, however, were more aggressive and straightforward, with their physicality and their shots. The Dragons were the first team to put up a goal, as senior attack Nick LoConte zipped one in with 6:39 remaining in the first quarter.    

Two minutes into the second quarter, the Dragons trailed, 4-1, but they continued battling. With 8:55 remaining, senior attack Riley Bergstrom added the Dragons second goal of the game from the right side. Less than a minute later, Maimaron scored his first goal of the game in traffic, cutting the team’s deficit in half. After Maimaron rocketed one off the post midway through the second, junior midfielder Joe Gooley capitalized on a second-chance scoring opportunity, tying the game at four apiece.    

Sweet said sophomore Cole Biggins excelled defensively for the Dragons.

Attackman Brian Cameron, who put up three goals and one assist, was the Cardinals' leading scorer.

The loss was the Dragons' final regular season game, which gives them some time to reflect before they move onto the single-elimination part of the season.

 “I think the next couple of days, we’ll give some of these tired guys a break, and then we’ll get going,” Sweet said. “This is what we play for now.”