MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Heading into Tuesday’s home game, the Morgantown boys’ lacrosse team and their opponent, Linsly, were both sporting impressive 4-1 records in the West Virginia Scholastic Lacrosse Association standings. Additionally, the Cadets had lost by just one goal to a George Washington team that the Mohigans defeated by a single tally earlier in the season.
So MHS felt they needed to bring their A-game into the measuring stick match, and thanks to the dominating face-off prowess of Mike Brown, the Mohigans roared out to a huge 9-1 first quarter lead and cruised to a big 21-7 win.
Brown only lost a single face-off during that crucial first 12 minutes, which allowed the Mohigans (5-1) to possess the ball nearly the entire opening quarter. Once they set up their offense, the Mohigans easily spun and juked their way past the Cadets defenders, leading to open looks down the alley against goalie Ryan Dembiczak (who finished with 14 saves) or quick 2-on-1 mismatches down low.
Just 37 seconds after Brown won the first of dozens of draws, MHS dented the scoreboard first when Daniel Arthurs converted a pass from Jaxon Fielding. Nine seconds later, Brown sprinted in after recovering his own face-off and fed Fielding alone in front for a quick 2-0 lead.
After killing a man-down situation, MHS made it 3-0 when Preston Harman scored from nearly the same spot at 9:05. Two minutes later, Arthurs and Fielding potted their second goals just five seconds apart to expand the lead to five. Jack Prokopchuk, playing with a broken bone in his wrist, fired a shot into the low corner to make it 6-0 with five minutes left before Linsly’s Aiden Grubler finally broke through against MHS keeper Jay Anderson.
Arthurs picked a high corner with four minutes left, and when Harman and Arthurs scored in the last minute, the Mohigans were firmly in command with their 9-1 advantage.
Morgantown was unable to maintain their high level of intensity and concentration, as Linsly scored two of the first three goals of the second quarter to draw within seven, at 10-3, but that’s the closest they’d come, as Harman and Prokopchuk scored to give MHS a 13-3 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Mohigans shifted into neutral through the third quarter, then finished strong with a 5-0 fourth quarter to finish off the Cadets.
Fielding finished with 6 goals and one assist, Arthurs had 5 goals and one helper, Harman also scored five, Prokopchuk got his hat trick, and Tyler Colebank and Jack Grushecky closed out the scoring later in the final quarter.
Brown, who finished with a trio of assists, was very happy with his team’s offensive effort, especially in that pivotal opening frame.
“That was a really efficient performance right from the beginning,” Brown said. “We knew they were good, and that we needed to be sharp and on our game. This was a continuation of the progress our offense has been showing lately, and that’s really exciting. We’ve been getting better and better in practices, and it feels great to translate that good work into games.”
MHS coach Jeremy Bennett was pleased with that first quarter, especially the possession numbers.
“We valued the ball – it’s a priority for us – and we also recognized and took advantage of mismatches and the right looks for shots,” he said. “When we stayed within the game plan, we got into our free-flowing offense the way we like. It allowed us to use our speed and creativity.
“We’re about halfway through the season, and if we continue to make strides on offense and stay the course on defense, I think we’ve got a shot at a state title. That’s certainly the goal every year, and I like where we’re heading right now.”
The MHS JV team beat Wheeling Park, 7-2 with Jerry Lane netting a hat trick for the victorious Mohigans.
The Mohigans stay busy, hosting Buckhannon-Upshur Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., with Senior Night honors beginning at 6 p.m.
