Comeback not enough as Bishop Guertin boys lacrosse falls to BC High

NASHUA - The way the first half unfolded Saturday, Chris Cameron was starting to wonder about his Bishop Guertin High School boys lacrosse team.

The Cardinals struggled to keep possession against Boston College High, making several mental mistakes on both sides of the ball as the Eagles used a 7-0 run to take five-goal lead into halftime.

Bishop Guertin woke up in the second half, including a 3-0 run in the first 1:24 of the third quarter, and the Cardinals rallied to tie the game. But Pat Jennings goal with 4:55 to play proved to be the different as BC High pulled off a 10-9 win over Bishop Guertin at Stellos Stadium.

"We came out ready and then it was so uncharacteristic of us, where we were just making mental mistakes and turning the ball over," Cameron said. "And we were taking penalties. The margin for error when you play a team like BC High is not there. You can't make mistakes like that."

Brian Cameron and Brennan McInnis each had two goals and two assists for Bishop Guertin (10-2) while Sean Cameron and John Bruno had a goal and an assist apiece. Cam Fagan, Michael O'Reilly and Kyle Fisher also scored and Colin Casey made eight saves.

BC High (12-3) got four goals and an assist from Pat Bulger while Jennings added two goals and three assists. Max Woods also scored twice and Colin Carroll and Charlie Pyne each had a goal. Pat O'Driscoll made 11 saves.

"That's a very good team and they have a lot of talented players at every position," BC High coach Steve Lydon said. "It took a really good effort. I'm proud of the way the guys played, to overcome adversity. It took a lot to come back after giving up that lead and to score the last goal."

Bishop Guertin controlled things early, getting out to a 2-0 lead with 5:15 left in the first quarter, but BC High quickly tied it up, scoring twice a span of 1:04. The Eagles took the lead on a goal by Bulger just 1:27 into the second and Woods made it 4-2 with 8:14 to go until halftime.

That's where it stood for most of the quarter, as BC High dominated possession and the Cardinals struggled when they got the ball. Bishop Guertin turned it over four times in the second quarter, once on an offside call and another on a failure to get into the box on time.

"We're showing spurts where we play well," Lydon said. "When we play a team game and all the guys are involved, we do a good job. We're not an individually overly talented team and we need to play together. We're starting to jell a little bit here and this was a great test and I think we're starting to play our best lacrosse."

The Eagles added two more goals in 12 seconds to make it 6-2 with 2:33 to play, and then made it a five-goal game on a disastrous play for the Cardinals.

Bishop Guertin's defense had made a stand with under two minutes left in the half, but the ball came loose near the crease and after it was batted around a couple of times, the ball rolled into the goal. Woods was credited with the score.

"I think they were so excited to play, they had to relax and have fun, and I think that's what they did in the second half," Chris Cameron said. "We came out with some fire."

Fisher started the scoring in the third quarter just 17 seconds in, starting the Cardinals on a three-goal run in the first 1:24 of the half. The teams traded goals for most of the third until BC High led 9-7 with 3:45 left to go until the fourth.

With time winding down in the corner, and the Eagles' defense trying to keep Brian Cameron from getting out from behind the goal, the Bishop Guertin junior flipped a no-look, one-handed shot at the goal from just above the goal line.

The ball found its way into the net to make 9-8 and the Cardinals carried that momentum into the fourth, as they had the possession for close to the first seven minutes of the quarter. Brian Cameron tied it at 9 with 9:09 left, but O'Driscoll came up big the rest of the way.

The Cardinals had a couple of chances after Jennings' goal gave BC High the lead, but three shots in the final minute - including one that hit the side of the net - were off the mark and the Eagles held on for the win.

"We were one play away," Chris Cameron said. "We called a play there and we got a shot from right where we wanted it. We've got to start working on playing 48 minutes. I think it's there."