Littleton – When the good-sized lead evaporated as quickly as it formed, the Arapahoe boys lacrosse team knew it needed something special before halftime.
The Warriors called a timeout, set up a play and ran it to perfection, taking back the lead for good with nine seconds remaining in the first half. With the defenses clamped down in the second half, Arapahoe held on for a 7-3 victory over Fort Collins in nonleague action Wednesday night at Littleton Public Schools Stadium.
Bill Mercer admitted that his go-ahead goal came on a designed play, but he wasn’t about to give up any more details.
“I think I’ll keep that information on the D.L.,” Mercer said.
Arapahoe remained perfect this season at 8-0, staying ahead of Regis and Heritage in the Continental League with five games remaining in the regular season. Fort Collins dropped to 6-2, but still sits near the top of the Foothills League.
The Warriors scored early as Ryan Parietti cleaned up after a shot by teammate Eric Law. Law, working behind the net of Fort Collins goalkeeper Andy Titterington, spun around a defender and unleashed a quick shot. Titterington knocked it down but Parietti was there to snare the loose ball and finish the play.
Arapahoe took a 3-0 lead and dominated the first eight minutes of action, winning every faceoff and more than twice as many groundballs during the first half before Fort Collins’ scoring drought ended.
With a goal similar to the one put up by Parietti and Law, Vipers teammates Henry Mikeza and Colin Gleason combined for a shot-save-shot-score goal. Mikeza took the initial shot saved by Arapahoe goalkeeper Wes Gibler and Gleason plucked the ball out of the air before scoring.
Fort Collins tied the game 3-3 midway through the second quarter and it looked like the game would head into halftime even until Mercer finished an assist from Drew Babb.
“We wanted to go out with a bang and get our spirits up before halftime,” Mercer said.
Law added: “That was a huge goal by Bill Mercer in the last couple of seconds to get us going.”
The frustrated offenses went a bit sloppy in the third quarter, throwing away passes and possessions. After nearly 10 minutes of scoreless action, Law took a pass from his brother, Kevin Law, and unleashed a under-handed whistler of a shot that beat Titterington.
Early in the fourth quarter, Parietti clinched the game and a hat trick with an assist from Babb, giving the Warriors a 6-3 lead that proved insurmountable.
“You’re not going to win games getting shut out in the second half,” said Mikeza, who finished with a goal and an assist for Fort Collins.
Fort Collins2100 – 3
Arapahoe3112 – 7
First quarter – A: Parietti (unassisted), 10:35; A: Babb (unassisted), 6:39; A: Parietti (E. Law), 5:53; FC: Gleason (unassisted), 4:17; FC: Mikeza (Newman), 3:51.
Second quarter – FC: Newman (Mikeza), 6:53; A: Mercer (Babb), :09.
Third quarter – A: E. Law (K. Law), 2:33.
Fourth quarter – A: Parietti (Babb), 9:58; A: Pullara (Mercer), 2:16.
Shots on goals – Fort Collins 4-3-0-3 – 10; Arapahoe 4-2-4-4 – 14.
Saves – Fort Collins (Titterington) 1-1-3-2 – 7; Arapahoe (Gibler) 2-2-0-3 – 7.
Groundballs – Fort Collins 2-4-3-4 – 13; Arapahoe 10-3-7-5 – 25.
