Pinkerton boys lacrosse cruises past Concord for 12th win
If the Pinkerton Academy boys lacrosse team was tired during its third game in three days, it did not show on the field.
CONCORD – If the Pinkerton Academy boys lacrosse team was tired during its third game in three days, it did not show on the field. The Astros won every faceoff and cruised to a 12-4 victory over Concord at Memorial Field.
Pinkerton’s triumph Wednesday marked its third in as many days. The Astros (12-0) defeated Nashua North, 14-2, on Monday and Londonderry, 16-6, on Tuesday.
“You don’t want to play more than three games in a week,” Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly said. “Three in three days, it’s tough on the legs.”
Considering the schedule Pinkerton has had this week, Nate Laliberte’s faceoff skills came in handy Wednesday. The freshman won 15 of the game’s 20 faceoffs and watched as teammates Adam Morin, Gennaro Marra and Brandon Tettler combined for the other five.
“Nate was great,” Astros freshman attackman Chad Teresky said. “We were able to move the ball around and cash in on our opportunities.”
Behind two goals from Teresky and another from sophomore Ryan Auger, the Astros led, 3-0, after the opening quarter and never looked back.
Pinkerton had a 6-1 advantage at halftime. The Astros led by at least five goals and as many as 10 in the second half.
Concord’s final two goals, which were both scored over the final 4:51, came after Pinkerton relieved starting goalie Alex Sturgess (four saves).
“We did some stuff right but they’re a good team,” Concord coach Jeff Smith said of the Astros. “They’re deeper. They executed all the little plays. We kind of lost the 50-50 ground balls and it kind of snowballed on us a little.”
The score could have been more lopsided if not for Crimson Tide senior goalie Ethan Donlon and the zone scheme Concord (7-4) played in front of him. Donlon made 11 saves, five of which came in the opening quarter.
“He’s a good goaltender,” O’Reilly said of Donlon. “You’ve got to pick your shots on him. (Concord) packed that zone in front of him. It allowed us to possess the ball and kept the score down and that’s fine. It’s not how many goals you score. It’s whether you control things and we had the game in control most of the time.’
Teresky finished with four goals and four assists while Auger had two goals and an assist. Tom Sweeney and Mason Drouin also chipped in two goals while Chris Valentine and Connor Delea each had one goal for Pinkerton. Valentine also added three assists.
Drew Livingston scored a team-high two goals and Brendan Pearl logged a goal and an assist for Concord. Brad Hicks scored a goal and Samson Galvin tallied an assist for the Crimson Tide.
While the three games in as many days might have taken a toll on the Astros’ legs, Teresky said the experience will come in handy later on.
“This was a big chance to get to play against great competition three days in a row,” Teresky said. “We get to see how great we are in depth and see how we are over the course of the year so when we’re in the fourth quarter versus (Bishop Guertin) or someone, we’ll be able to keep our stamina.”
