Cavs play well, but fall to Cougars

HOLLIS – The Hollis/Brookline High School boys lacrosse team didn’t get a win against undefeated Derryfield on Wednesday.

But the Cavaliers might have picked up the next best thing.

Playing against a team that averages over 15 goals a game, H/B stepped up its defense and held the Cougars (11-0) to their lowest goal total of the season in an 8-4 loss. After falling behind 5-1 in the first half, the Cavs (6-4) had several opportunities in the second – including a two-man advantage in the fourth quarter – but were unable to capitalize on any of them.

H/B had the lead down to three with 6:43 left to play, but couldn’t get it any closer.

“We had some good opportunities, couldn’t see them capitalized,” H/B coach Bob Zimmerman said. “We just had trouble putting the ball in the net.”

That’s been the case for most of the season for the Cavs, who returned a handful of experienced players on defense, but for the most part have a new offensive group.

It’s showed in their scores. In their four loses, H/B has allowed eight (twice), five and nine goals, and in all four games, the Cavs have scored four goals. Just twice this season have they netted double digits on offense, but they’ve only allowed an average of 5.1 on the year.

“I think this team, one of the things they struggle with, is not having enough experience to know when things are open and when to push the page and when to move it,” Zimmerman said. “Defensively, we’re doing well because a good portion of our defense returned. Our entire offense is brand new. A lot of these kids are still learning.”

That has shown when the Cavs have played the top teams in Division III. Against Kingswood, the division’s other undefeated team, H/B came out intimidated and the coaches were worried that might happen again against the Cougars.

“I think we played them pretty well,” Zimmerman said. “We played hard. We didn’t play hard enough, but I’m not dissatisfied.”

Derryfield got on the board first on a goal by Chris Coppinger at 11:44 of the opening period. But H/B answered right back, as Kyle Moynihan tied the game at 9:41.

The Cougars went back on top less than a minute later, this time on a goal by Alec Avery, and Derryfield added two more goals before the end of the quarter to lead 4-1.

“This is a tough field,” Zimmerman said. “That end of the field is pretty greasy. Get your guys to shoot those skip shots and that’s tough for a goalie to stop. They went right after that right away. That took away his (goalie Alvaro Guzman) confidence early. He had a hard time, but once he settled in, he played well.”

Guzman and the Cavs gave up one goal in the second quarter, and two more in the third, Derryfield went up 7-1.

Chris Hyde closed the gap to five goals with 3:00 left in the third, and Pat Clark and Moynihan both scored in the fourth quarter to make it a 7-4 game.

But Derryfield’s Brandon Rivard scored with 4:25 left to bump the lead back to four and put the game out of reach.

“They kept chipping away, they just couldn’t chip away enough,” Zimmerman said of his team’s second half.