On Saturday, May 7, the Choate Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team went up against the Berkshire School. The game was a must-win for Choate after having lost four of their last five games. Despite this recent trend, Choate came out determined and triumphed over the Bears.
After winning the opening faceoff, Choate possessed the ball early and often in the first quarter. Eventually, Bobby Goggin ’17 put it in the back of the net to get Choate ahead one to nothing. Berkshire quickly retaliated, and the teams were off to the races. After the dust settled on a hard-fought first quarter, Choate was behind, with the scoreboard reading 4-5.
The second quarter was much more centered around defense, with the first goal not being scored until halfway through. However, by halftime, Choate was behind just six goals to seven.
The third quarter was not an easy one for the Boars, in part because the Bears won all five faceoffs. However, good defense and some spectacular saves by goalie George Uppgren ’17 kept Choate in the game.
The game was tied going into the fourth quarter, but Berkshire came out with two fast goals, making the score 9-11. However, Choate kept fighting and ended up down by one with thirty seconds left, sending the team into overdrive. Soon, Nick McCall ’17 scored the tying goal to send the match into overtime. Coach Michael Velez recalled that before overtime, his big message to the team had been to work hard and enjoy the moment.
In overtime, Choate won the faceoff and set up its offense. After a few missed shots, Liam O’Connell ’16 scored the game-winning goal, and the celebrations began. Coach Velez said of the game, “I thought we executed our systems well in the first and fourth quarters, but were a bit sloppy in the middle stages of the game.” Still, this was an important win that will instill confidence in the Boars moving forward.
