Wildcats Light Up Pope Field, 13-2 over Vermont Academy
Wildcats Light Up Pope Field, 13-2 over Vermont Academy
Under a beautiful spring night sky, Kimball Union Academy hosted league rival Vermont Academy in a game that honored Wildcat alumni John Pope and Duncan Ogden who played lacrosse together at the Academy in 1949. The Wildcats wasted no time shifting their offense into high gear as they led 5-0 after one period and 9 -0 at the half. Vermont Academy played with spirit but Kimball Union maintained ball control throughout the third period, extending their lead to 10 - 0 after three. Vermont scored twice in the last period but could not gain ground as the Wildcats finished the night with three more goals to complete the victory by a margin of 13 – 2. Ryan Hayes (Darien, CT) led all scorers with four goals and five assists while Cody Danforth (Milton, VT) and Scott Crawford (Mystic, CT) had two goals each. Andrew Morgan (Charlotte, NC) scored his first goal of the season. David Robinson (Lexington, MA), Jamie Schmidt (Shelburne, VT) and co-Capt. Evan Roberts (West Cornwall, VT) each tallied once. Andrew Richardson (Lancaster, MA) picked up a nice assist while Roberts and Todd Rowley (Billerica, MA) each had an assist as well. Trevor McDonald (Niwot, CO), Scott Schachter (Rumford, RI), Justin Wright (Waccabuc, NY), Ben Wyskiel (Dover, NH) and Ryan Henry (Norwood, MA) all contributed significantly in both the offensive and defensive ends of the field. Robert Bleakley (Lexington, MA), defending between the pipes during the first half, registered three saves and cleared very effectively. Jon Lowenstein (Hastings-On-Hudson, NY) was also effective in goal throughout the second half as he registered four saves and also cleared with a high level of efficiency. Matt Parker (Shelburne, VT), a recent convert from short stick to long, played very well at both midfield and at close defense with good ground ball work and heads up clearing during the first half while Zach Dayno (Thetford,VT), another recent convert, also played great position and threw some well timed checks in the riding game.
The starting trio of Brian Orr (Medford, MA), co-Capt. Trevor McGraw (Meriden, NH) and Colin Young (Dedham, MA) smothered Vermont whenever the ball entered the Wildcat defensive zone. Nate Plummer (Meriden, NH), John Colburn (Norwich, VT) and Allen Abendroth (Sunapee, NH) saw quality minutes throughout the evening as well on the defensive end. Andrew Richardson and Brent Bourgeois (New Haven, VT) showed excellent poise with long sticks at midfield with excellent riding, effective checks and efficient clearing passes.
The Wildcats begin next week in what appears to be their toughest journey to date as they host the powerful Big Red of Phillips Exeter Academy on Wednesday followed by Phillips Andover on Friday night and Hebron Academy the next day. Exeter is a powerful team who several weeks ago defeated Loomis Chaffee School from Windsor CT, ranked in the national top 25 last year. The face off on Wednesday is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
