Derryfield boys lacrosse bounces back by handing Hollis Brookline first defeat

HOLLIS - The good news for the Derryfield School boys lacrosse team was that it was able to bounce back from its first loss in over three years with a win over previously-unbeaten Hollis Brookline.

The bad news was that the Cougars struggled to a lot of little things in the second half after taking a commanding lead into halftime.

Derryfield led 8-1 early in the third quarter, but HB was able to get back within four goals in the fourth quarter before the Cougars put the 10-4 win away on a pair of goals by Jon MacLean in a Division II game.

"I liked the way we came out in the first half," Derryfield coach Chris Hettler said. "We had a good response there. I just think we needed a little bit more intensity and execution. All that kind of stuff and we let mistakes compound themselves."

MacLean also had an assist to go with his two scores while Chas Dean had three goals and Gunnar Senatore also scored twice. Max Horton had a goal and an assist and John Anderson and Matt Weimer added a goal apiece for the Cougars (13-1, No. 4 in the NHHSS Coaches Poll).

HB (11-1) got two goals from Dylan Terenzoni while Jon Kroposki had a goal and two assists and Joe O'Reilly also had a goal and an assist. Scott Walsh had eight saves for the Cavaliers.

"They played their hearts out," HB coach Cameron Hayward said. "We knew it was going to be a challenge after a season of playing teams that haven’t been as competitive. That first half, it didn’t go our way, but we regrouped, changed the game plan and I thought it worked. We just need to be a little cleaner on offense and value possessions."

The Cavs did that early, as Joe MacDonough won the opening faceoff and HB was able to hold onto the ball for long stretches in the first quarter. Derryfield didn't register a shot until five minutes had run off the clock and Senatore gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead with 5:15 left in the opening quarter.

Dean tacked on two goals in less than a minute to put Derryfield up 3-0 going into the second and goals by Anderson and Weimer made it 5-0 with 6:37 left in the opening half. The Cavs got one goal back just 20 seconds after Weimer's tally, but Horton got the ball to Senatore after a Derryfield timeout to make it 6-1 with 4:18 remaining until the break and then the senior long pole added a goal of his own with 1:05 to go.

The Cougars took an 8-1 lead on Dean's third goal 2:57 into the third quarter, but they'd go scoreless for more than 15 minutes after that.

"It was nice to see a lot of different guys get on the scoreboard," Hettler said. "We know we’ve got six guys who can all go on the field and put the ball in the back of the net. It’s about execution. Passes were off a little bit. Instead of making one more, we’re trying to force it to the crease."

Terenzoni scored twice in a span of 2:23 to make it an 8-3 game, as momentum started to swing in favor of the Cavs. HB had a chance to cut the lead to four a minute after Terenzoni's second goal, but the shot rang off the crossbar and Derryfield was able to get the groundball.

With HB a manup midway through the fourth, Kroposki scored to make it 8-4, and after the Cougars turned the ball over after winning the faceoff, the Cavs tried to get out in transition. But MacLean stepped in front of Walsh's clearing attempt and went in on the goalie alone, scoring to make it 9-4 with 5:14 left to play.

Both teams continue a busy final week of the regular season on Wednesday, as HB hosts Winnacunnet and Derryfield welcomes Coe-Brown to Manchester. Both games are scheduled to start at 4 p.m.