St. Dom’s Avery Lutrzykowski tries to beat Lake Region’s Aisley Sturk during their game Wednesday in Naples. (Lee Horton/Sun Journal)
NAPLES — St. Dom’s and Lake Region challenged and exhausted each other for 50 minutes of regulation.
When that wasn’t enough, they played a couple overtimes.
Lake Region finally prevailed when Lindsey Keenan received a pass and buried it for a major 11-10 Western Maine Conference girls’ lacrosse win Wednesday.
“It was intense,” Keenan said. “We knew this team was amazing, so we really knew we had to leave it all out on the field.”
From the start, the Saints and Lakers waged a back and forth battle. When one team went have a run of a few goals, the other would answer similarly.
Keenan’s game-winner was her third goal of the game. Her second one, with 1:58 left in regulation, gave the Lakers a seemingly comfortable 10-8 lead.
The Saints, though, weren’t ready to concede anything. Caroline Gastonguay scored a free-position goal with 1:02 remaining, and then scored off an assist from Emma Theriault with 13.6 seconds left.
“I think we really pulled it together and really came through,” St. Dom’s coach Leslie Klenk said. “It’s hard to come from behind, and they really gave it their heart, and I was really so proud of them that they were able to hold it together and come back like that.”
The Saints weren’t done. They took possession off the ensuing faceoff and attacked the Lake Region goal. Gastonguay heaved a pass toward the center of the field that Rileigh Stebbins tapped into the goal. But it happened a second or two after the buzzer sounded, so the game was headed to overtime.
Both teams valued possession throughout the game.
“It was really who controlled the ball,” Lake Region coach David Keenan said. “They have a great offense, we have a great offense, and whoever controlled the ball best — when we had it, we got the lead, when they had it, they had the lead.”
St. Dom’s possessed the ball for the first five minutes of the game, and maintained that patient approach for most of Wednesday’s game.
Lake Region turned the tables in the first three-minute overtime period, controlling the ball for all but about 20 seconds. The Lakers, though, weren’t able to turn that into victory, and the game went to a second overtime.
This time, the teams alternated possession. With 1:27 left, the Saints had a shot at goal hit the pole. Klenk said the Saints thought the shot might actually have gone in the goal.
“But what are you going to do?” Klenk said. “They didn’t think they saw it (go in), we’ll live with that.”
The Lakers controlled the rebound and took the ball down the field, where Rachel Shanks set up Lindsey Keenan for the game-winner with 1:10 left in the second overtime.
“We moved the ball really well, we got it down the field, our transition has been awesome all year and it just really clicked today,” Lindsey Keenan said.
Keenan finished with three goals and three assists. Mellisa Bonenfant also had three goals for the Lakers (5-1), and Lauren Jakobs scored twice.
Lake Region goalie Madelyn Nelson was solid all game and stopped nine shots.
“Oh, my gosh, she did amazing,” Lindsey Keenan said. “I’m so proud of her. She really stepped up today.”
Charlotte Gastonguay scored a game-high five goals for the Saints (3-1). Caroline Gastonguay had three goals and four assists, and Avery Lutrzykowski and Theriault each tallied one goal and one assist.
Klenk was filled with pride for her team, despite the loss.
“I think that it’s kudos to us for playing like a team,” Klenk said. “Did we get this one? No. But I think we can’t be ashamed of how we played.
“We have a lot of heart,” she later added, “and we can play with anybody.”
The game was matchup of two schools only three years into having varsity lacrosse programs. It was also a showdown the top two teams in the Heal point standings of the newly created Class C. Klenk said Wednesday’s game shows the state’s smallest class has top-rate skill and competition.
“Both teams, their goal is to show that Class C is a competitive class,” Klenk said. “Just because we’re a small school and we’re Class C doesn’t mean we can’t play good lacrosse.
“And I think we’re a couple of the really good teams in the Western Maine Conference.”
St. Dom’s, which earned a big 11-9 win over Cape Elizabeth on Monday, hosts Morse on Friday at 4 p.m.
Lindsey Keenan of Lake Region, left, makes a move on St. Dom’s defender Payton Winslow during their game Wednesday in Naples. Keenan scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime period to lift the Lakers to the win. (Lee Horton/Sun Journal)
St. Dom’s midfielder Caroline Gastonguay lets a shot go against Lake Region during their game Wednesday in Naples. Lake Region won the game in double overtime. (Lee Horton/Sun Journal)
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