When an opposing team is getting chewed out within the first five minutes of a game, odds are you’re doing something well.
For the Colorado Academy lacrosse team, it was a quick five-goal burst in the opening moments of Friday’s first-round playoff game at Slater Field that was responsible for the hoarse voices of visiting Ponderosa’s coaching staff.
Turned out No. 11-seeded Colorado Academy needed every goal, as they held off an inspired comeback attempt by No. 22-seeded Ponderosa and eked out an 8-7 victory.
“We had a good pump-up speech from our coaches and we came out with some fire there,” said Colorado Academy sophomore attackman Max Allen, who scored two goals in the opening flurry and four overall. “We worked the ball around great.”
But after Colorado Academy (12-3) darted to the blink-and-you-missed-it 5-0 lead in the first 4:48, Ponderosa heeded the pleas of its coaching staff and held CA scoreless until midway through the third quarter, a span of nearly 25 minutes.
“I think we were just in awe of being in the playoffs and just a little shocked at first,” Ponderosa midfielder Kyle Shefferly said. “But then we started to come back.”
Come back Ponderosa (10-5) did, as Shefferly’s goal with 59 seconds remaining trimmed it to 8-7 and capped a late three-goal binge that also included tallies from Josh Clark and Sean Donovan.
Ponderosa 0 3 1 3 — 7
Colorado Academy 5 0 1 2 — 8
Goals — P: Shefferly 2, Sandt 2, Donovan, Clark, Kopasz; CA: Allen 4, Stein 2, Bowen, McCartney.
Assists — P: Conroy 2, Donovan, Clark, Kirby; CA: Stein 2, Bowen 2, Birdie, Wimpee.
Shots on goal — Ponderosa 13; Colorado Academy 15. Saves — Ponderosa (Meurer) 7; Colorado Academy (Ulrich, 47 minutes) 6, (Boyd, 1 minute) 0.
