BOXFORD — Trite as it may sound, sometimes it really is a matter of which team wants it more on a given day.
John Wilkens’ Marblehead boys lacrosse team certainly fit that bill Wednesday, showing a hunger to succeed with eight unanswered goals to produce its third straight win, 12-5 over Masconomet.
Junior attack Reece Moore and freshman Will Sullivan both had three goals and an assist for the Magicians while senior Jack Whipple also ripped the strings thrice in a balanced offensive attack.
At the other end of the field Marblehead (4-2) was physical in both attacking ground balls and whichever Chieftain had possession, leading to plenty of turnovers. Captain JJ Pollender, junior LSM Bodie Smith and senior defenseman Wilson Bullard were at the forefront of these disruptions; despite the hosts winning the majority of faceoffs, the Magicians wound up with the ball time and again.
“It’s good to see guys stepping up and taking advantage of opportunities that we’re given,” said Marblehead coach John Wilkens, whose team is still without the services of injured key players such as FOGO Toby Grenier and captains Elliot Pluss (defense) and Charlie Grenier (attack).
It was a back-and-forth first half, with it tied after quarter (1-1) and the visitors only up two, 5-3, at halftime. After Masconomet’s Colten Russo (2 goals) buried a shot with the man advantage late in the second, Sullivan answered for Marblehead with under a minute to go.
After the break, however, Marblehead really took control. Senior attack Gio Garibotto scored and assisted on a Moore tally to make it a four-goal game after three. Whipple, Cam Waldman, Drew Nelson and Moore all connected after that, turning it into an 11-3 blowout.
“I’m a purist; I love playing on grass. But this is the only field (in the Northeastern Conference) that has it, and it changes the game. It becomes a shooter’s field, and you have to adjust for a quarter or two and get your feet back,” said Wilkens. “Once we did, I thought we played very well.”
Chieftains sophomore goaltender Tyller Goncalves (12 saves) was under near constant pressure at times as Marblehead worked the ball around and attacked the net with abandon.
“We simply didn’t play well, and that’s why we lost,” Masconomet (2-3) head coach Chris Roach surmised.
Garibotto finished with a goal and two assists for Marblehead, which has scored 47 times in its last three games. Waldman added a goal and assist of his own, and 10th grade goalkeeper Finn Gallup earned the victory after a 5-save performance.
In addition to Russo’s two tallies, Owen McNally had a goal and an assist, Miles Mireault and John Miga added solo scores, Colin Driscoll picked up two helpers, and Alan Weitzman and Will Carey had one apiece.