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# Bedford boys lacrosse comes back to take win over Westford (video)
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/bedford-boys-lacrosse-comes-back-to-take-win-over-westford-video/
- Published: 2025-05-04T22:05:33.000Z
- Updated: 2025-05-04T22:05:33.000Z
- Description: BEDFORD - For most of the second half of Saturday's boys lacrosse game between Westford Academy and Bedford High School, it felt like whichever team had the ball last was going to win the game. With the way things were going on faceoffs, that was fine with Bulldogs coach Steve Gaudreau. Bedford won
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Bedford, boys lacrosse, slider, Westford, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

BEDFORD - For most of the second half of Saturday's boys lacrosse game between Westford Academy and Bedford High School, it felt like whichever team had the ball last was going to win the game.

With the way things were going on faceoffs, that was fine with Bulldogs coach Steve Gaudreau.

Bedford won 84 percent of the faceoffs, including the final one after the Bulldogs took the lead for good with 27.5 seconds left, as they rallied for a 16-14 win over the Ghosts in an out-of-state game at Bedford High School.

Bennett Matthews scored seven goals, including the game-winner and the one that put Bedford up two just before the final buzzer, while also collecting three assists. Dylan Riccio won 27 of 32 faceoffs going against a rotation of players from Westford.

"Dylan Riccio was awesome on the faceoffs," Gaudreau said. "We felt if we could settle down and keep that advantage, as long as it stayed close, that would benefit us and that’s what pushed us over the edge."

The Bulldogs (5-3, No. 2 in the MerchSquared.com/NHHSSports Coaches Poll) struggled with turnovers at times, recording 18 of them, but just four of those came in the fourth quarter. After trailing 3-1 after one and 6-2 late in the second, Bedford closed the first half on a 4-1 run to make it a one-goal game, but trailed by three again early in the fourth before coming back.

"We certainly didn’t play our best at times, but we did enough, and we executed when we needed to down the stretch," Gaudreau said. "It was a great fight. We had a lot of guys stepping up in different aspects."

Brody Helton added four goals for Bedford while Luke Purnell had three scores and Evan Capello had two goals and an assist. Brian Riccio also had an assist and Ethan Conn made nine saves, including two after Bedford took its first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter.

"It was big for us," Matthews said of the win. "Our goalie came up huge, our defense came up huge, with some great saves. Ethan had that great save in transition to get us the ball back, and then we settled up. This is what we do. We know where to go in the big moments and how to finish."

Quinn Reynolds and Jack Donovan each had four goals to lead the Ghosts (9-3) while Peter Burns had two goals and five assists and Nick Burns had two goals and four assists. Luke Burgess and Finn McKeon added a goal apiece while Ryan Campbell made 12 saves, five in the first quarter to help Westford take the lead.

"(Campbell) was great in the first half," Matthews said. "We realized that he was great down low. I shot a couple of shots down low in the first half and he stuffed me on every single one. You’ve just got to adapt to the adversity and we started putting them high, and I guess it worked out a little bit."

After cutting the lead to 7-6 before halftime, Helton tied the game just 1:08 into the third quarter. It was one of three ties in the quarter, but despite controlling faceoffs, Bedford was unable to get the go-ahead goal.

Westford went back up by two, 11-9, in the final minutes of the frame, and a goal by Donovan to open the fourth with a goal to make it a three-goal game with 10:37 to play.

Back-to-back goals by Capello and Matthews in just 26 seconds made it 12-11 Westford with 8:24 to go, but the Ghosts went back up by two just 16 seconds later. Matthews got the Bulldogs back within one with 7:07 to play, and after a faceoff win, Purnell scored just eight seconds later to tie the game at 13.

Helton gave Bedford its first lead with 5:43 to play, and it looked like the Bulldogs might get more, but Campbell came up with a save on Matthews and the groundball kicked out all the way over midfield. The Ghosts got possession, but Conn made a stop to keep the game tied.

The Bulldogs took a timeout and turned the ball over out of it, giving Westford a transition opportunity. Conn made another save, but another Bedford turnover gave the Ghosts the ball and they took a timeout with 2:47 left.

After a pair off shots were off the mark, Reynolds scored with 2:05 to play to tie the game at 14\. Westford won the faceoff to get the ball back, but on its second shot attempt, no one was there to back it up and possession went to Bedford, setting up the game-winning goal by Matthews.

"I think it was just keeping our effort high," he said. "We were down the whole game, and our sideline was huge, keeping our energy up. It’s a hot one, we’re gassed, so our depth was huge. Everyone needed to step up."