SOUTH YARMOUTH – He very well may have been the entire difference.
Dennis-Yarmouth goalie Sean McNamara notched an incredible 25 saves in the Dolphins’ 6-5 Atlantic Coast League lacrosse win Friday afternoon, but 11 of those came in the fourth quarter as the clock ticked down and the visiting Falmouth High Clippers pelted him with a seemingly never-ending barrage of missiles.
Dennis-Yarmouth’s Sean McNamara was a force to be reckoned with Friday afternoon in the Dolphin’s 6-5 thriller over Falmouth.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports Photos
One save came from four feet out, man-on-man, face to face, as the talented netminder literally caught the 90-mph shot like a Kodiak bear swatting sockeye salmon upstream.
In what may have been the best- and most fiercely contested high school lacrosse game on the Cape this spring, both teams exchanged goals in the early going, leading to a 2-2 deadlock at the end of the first quarter.
Falmouth senior captain Arlin Moore and Dennis-Yarmouth’s Tom Slovak exchanged goals at the outset, and the Dolphins’ Ian Crosby took a pass from Slovak to make it 2-1, but Moore gunned one past McNamara to knot it at 2-2 before time ran out in the stanza. Moore’s pair of first quarter goals were assisted by sophomore Alex Manos and senior Matt Katon. Slovak’s opening tally was assisted by Andrew Jamiel and Crosby’s was assisted by Slovak.
In the second frame, both teams scored about one minute apart as Jason Finn (two goals) took a feed from Kevin Reid just 0:20 seconds into the session, to make it 3-2, followed by Falmouth senior Andrew Franks finding the net at 10:27 (assisted by junior attacker Patrick Coyne) to make it 3-3.
Both Falmouth’s Moore and Dennis-Yarmouth’s Slovak scored each respective team’s next two goals, but Moore’s effort came in the fourth quarter when the Dolphins had built a 5-3 lead.
D-Y’s Finn would prove to have the game-winner with his second goal of the day at 10:06 of the fourth quarter to make it 6-3 before Moore nearly single-handedly pulled off a game-tying comeback with his two, fourth quarter goals.
Dennis-Yarmouth’s Kyle DiFrancesco battles for the ball at midfield with Falmouth’s Patrick Callahan (18) and Nolan Enneguess (4).
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports Photos
Crosby had two assists and Jamiel added three, but it was Jamiel’s speed that helped keep the very tough and relentless Falmouth Clippers on their heels at least defensively.
Offensively, Falmouth’s fourth quarter surge was a sight to behold as it narrowed the deficit to within one goal at 6-5 – a score that would hold up for the final 6:36 of the affair.
The Dolphins climbed to 8-2 on the season with the key Atlantic Coast League win, while Falmoth fell to a deceptive 3-8 mark. The Clippers beat their hosts on ground balls, 26-18 and outshot the Dolphins, 30-18.
The Dolphins were slated to head to Nantucket Saturday (May 9), while Falmouth welcomes Sandwich next Wednesday (May 13) at 4:00 pm.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm
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