Difficult Finale for Wildcats as they Fall to Tabor

Traveling to Endicott College in Beverly, MA for the season finale against Tabor Academy, the Wildcats felt prepared and confident of victory over the Seawolves. But things deteriorated quickly as the Wildcats struggled to control the ball resulting in three early unanswered Tabor goals. Two were classic 4v3 fast breaks as KUA struggled to recover defensively. Sophomore goalie Jonny Lowenstein (Hudson-On-Hastings, NY) kept the Wildcats close with five solid saves and very good clearing execution. Sophomore attack man Jamie Schmidt (Shelburne, VT) was assisted by Tri-Captain Donner Carr (East Greenwich, RI) as he found Tabor twine late in the first to keep Wildcat hopes alive. The second period was more frustration for KUA as Tabor poured on the offense with five goals. The Wildcats could only answer with one unassisted goal by junior midfielder Evan Roberts (West Cornwall, VT) as he dodged from the restraining line through the Tabor defense and ultimately found the back of the Tabor goal. Trailing 8-2 at the half, the Wildcats searched for solutions and started the third period still with hope of turning the tide and catching Tabor. Midfielder Sean Lavin (North Easton, MA) scored during the first minute on a nice feed from Tri-Captain Jeff Galvin (Meriden, NH) as the Wildcats took advantage of a Tabor penalty. Alas, with a KUA comeback still a possibility, Tabor took control, scoring four unanswered goals which virtually put the game out of reach. Struggling to stay focused in the last period, the Wildcats gave up three more goals to the pressing and swarming Tabor offense. Playing under heavy offensive pressure from Tabor throughout the second, third and fourth period and taking numerous shots from close in, goalie Brian Holland (Barrington, RI) registered four saves as he tried to keep the Wildcats in the game. Matt Parker (Shelburne, VT) and Roberts handled most of the face-offs combining for eight wins against twelve losses. The defensive trio of Trevor McGraw (Meriden, NH), Ben Severance (Rumson, NJ) and Judson Pickard (Cincinnati, OH) worked hard during the contest but could not effectively stop the potent Tabor attack.

This was the final game for the Wildcats as they finished the 2006 season with a 6-7 record, third place in the Lakes Region League and fourth place in the Northern New England Lacrosse League.