MOUNT BERRY, Ga. — After coming back from a three-point deficit and holding a lead with just over a minute left in regulation, the Carthage men's lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaker on the road to Berry College 12-11 in double overtime on Tuesday night.
The home team were first on the board, as they took an early 3-0 lead after five minutes of action. However, George Burchfield found Andrew Frey to get the Firebirds (5-1) in the scoring column, before the Vikings (5-2) quickly responded. After Burchfield found the back of the net next for Carthage, Berry scored their fifth of the game, before Andrew Johnson and Ben Krok made it a one-score game after the first quarter.
After nine goals in the first period, the defenses stepped up in the second, as only three goals were scored. The first two went to the Firebirds, as Johnson scored with just over four minutes left in the half, and once more minutes later. The Vikings would respond in the final minute to set the two teams in a six-all stalemate at the break.
The two sides traded goals to begin the second half, before the Firebirds closed out the third and began the fourth with four unanswered to take an 11-7 advantage. However, Berry scored three more before tying the match at 11 with just over a minute left in regulation. After each team was unable to score in the first OT period, the Vikings found the back of the net to hand the Firebirds their first loss of the season.
Carthage continues their spring break trip this week, as they take on Birmingham-Southern College on Friday, March 18 at 4 p.m.
"That was a tough loss. I wish we could have had more even opportunities in OT, but we spent much of both extra periods in the box. This was a great game but we just ran out of gas and a shot was going to go in at some point. I am proud of the guys, that was a junior and senior-heavy team and we took a punch in the mouth for the first five minutes, and it would have been easy to check out. We had opportunities to win and not closing out at the end with a four-goal lead falls on me. It's just not acceptable. It's a young team and we made a lot of emotional mistakes that hurt only us. As guys get older they will learn that staying disciplined and focused is what's best for the team. There were a lot of great lessons in this one that can help us be better, we just need to make sure we take advantage and grow from this."
Quick Facts
- Tied for the team lead in total points this season, both Andrew Johnson and George Burchfield posted five today to remain even, now with 27 on the year.
- Johnson has scored four goals in the past two contests, tying his season-best.
- Michael Stell added three assists today, and is now tied for third on the team with seven this season.
- Blake Raphael entered today leading the CCIW in saves per game, adding another 13 today.
You can keep up with Carthage Athletics by following us on Facebook at facebook.com/carthageathletics, Twitter by following
@CarthageSports, and on Instagram by following
@CarthageAthletics.
