Harbormen Fall Short in Coaches Cup Title Game

Senior Connor Walsh checks a Lincoln-Sudbury player early in the physical, hard-fought loss on Saturday.

April 25, 2022 - Story and photos by Joshua Ross

For the first time in three years, the Coaches Cup Lacrosse Challenge took place last week featuring some of the top programs in the state. This year’s tournament focused on honoring long-time Lincoln-Sudbury athletic trainer Yoshitaka Ando, who passed away in 2019 from esophageal cancer. The teams participating included Hingham, Lincoln-Sudbury, Concord-Carlisle, Natick, Dover-Sherborn, Wellesley, Winchester and Bridgewater-Raynham.

In their first game on Tuesday, the Harbormen took care of Winchester 13-1, then beat Natick 18-7 on Thursday setting themselves up for a match-up versus Lincoln-Sudbury in the finals on Saturday. A highly anticipated game featuring two of the top teams in Massachusetts.

Senior captain Henry Crean with the shot attempt in the second quarter.

The Warriors got off to a quick 3-0 start before junior Charlie Packard settled things down with a goal to make it 3-1. A few minutes later, senior captain Owen Hoffman cut the lead to one at 3-2. Lincoln-Sudbury extended their lead to 4-2, which didn’t last long as junior Henry Woodyatt brought the Harbormen within a goal again. The Warriors regained their two goal lead with about a minute remaining in the quarter. With two more goals in the second frame, Lincoln-Sudbury capped off a 4-0 run and took a 7-3 lead into halftime.

For the first time all season, the Harbormen faced a deficit heading into the half and longtime head coach John Todd had simple, but direct message for his team at the break.

“We’re better than this,” Todd told his team at half-time. “We can play better than this. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot with mental mistakes and if we don’t limit that, it’s just going to get worse. So it’s re-focus, re-dial in, and do what we are capable of doing.”

Junior Charlie Packard with one of his two goals in the game.

Whatever he said got through to his players. For the next 20 minutes, the Harbormen clamped down on defense, got some amazing and timely saves from senior goalie Niko Decola, and managed to claw their way back with four unanswered goals of their own from senior captain Cian Nicholas, junior Joe Hennessey, Packard, and the game tying goal from Hennessey with five minutes left in the game. However, the Warriors only goal of the second half was the only one they needed. With a little of four minutes remaining, Kylo Ando, son of person the tournament was honoring, got one by Decola and put Lincoln-Sudbury up for good. The Harbormen had their chances in the final minutes, but the Warriors’ tender made some terrific saves to hold on for the 8-7 win.

“Against great teams like this, that’s what’s going to happen in the first half,” said Todd after the game. “And then in the second half was more indicative of the way we can play both defensively and physically between the lines. To come up with balls and fight them for balls so things aren’t as easy for them. They are going to get their looks, but we had more than enough of our own looks.”

Senior Niko Decola made some big saves througout the second half allowing his team to climb back in the game.

Even though his team didn’t come away with the championship, overall he was pleased with how his players performed in the three games last week.

“We played very well,” Todd added. “We took giant steps forward, which is why we play in this tournament. It’s the best tournament out there with great coaches, great teams and both teams highly respect each other, so that’s why we are here. And we are only getting better by playing a game like today. We we told the kids, it’s April and we are playing for June.”

Todd and his Harbormen won’t have to wait for June for the rematch. The Warriors come to Hingham on May 25th to face off again. In the meantime, the boys are back at it again tomorrow at home vs Plymouth South.