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Senior Day
The Woodstock Academy boys’ lacrosse team celebrated Senior Day April 25. Left to right: Ethan Haass (14), Zach Douglas (3), Geoff Vallone (4), Ethan Holcomb (5), Bailey Canedy (6) and Ryan LaTour (9). Photo courtesy of The Woodstock Academy.
Woodstock Academy junior Seth Libby wasn’t about to part with the ball any time soon.
On his way to a Senior Day pizza party following the game with Norwich Free Academy April 25, Libby scooped the ball out of the cage and on to his stick.
It was the ball that he shot that found its way into the back of the net and gave the Centaurs a 10-9, sudden-death overtime victory over the Wildcats.
The ball will never find its way back to the field again.
Libby kept on walking with it.
“That’s what we were looking for,” said Woodstock Academy coach Michael Noel. “We talk about it all the time, composure, and they finally showed it (Thursday).
The Centaurs (4-4, 1-3 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I) trailed 9-8 with 3:51 left in the match after Austen LeDonne snuck around behind the NFA goal and tucked it in to the far corner, just eluding the stick of Wildcats’ keeper Lavery Hill.
But Woodstock Academy was having trouble finding the net again.
It was similar to what happened the game before when Guerin Favreau scored with 1:23 left, but the Centaurs failed to tie the game against Fitch and suffered a 9-8 defeat.
The sophomore midfielder picked up a loose ball with 35 seconds to play and ran the field, taking a shot with 17 seconds left that bounced up and over the goal.
Fortunately, senior captain Ethan Holcomb, despite hamstring issues, was behind the net and the Centaurs retained possession.
Holcomb passed it to Favreau to the left of Hill, he spun around an NFA defender and rocketed it into the right side of the net to knot the game with 7.9 seconds left.
“All game, I was dogging down to my right and taking my left and shooting. It was working. Why not try it again?” Favreau said.
It sent the game into overtime where the Centaurs again knocked the ball loose from the Wildcats in the defensive end.
The Centaurs worked it up field but had the possession stripped.
Holcomb, however, picked up the loose ball and passed over the top to a waiting Seth Libby.
Libby had a chance to score late in regulation. This time, he didn’t cradle at all, just turned and shot. “I was ecstatic when it went in,” Libby said.
So was the entire team who came flying off the sideline. It ended the match just 1:25 into the extra period.
Noel loved the way the Centaurs played early, something the Woodstock Academy coach wanted to see since it hadn’t happened against Fitch.
The Centaurs took a 5-1 lead over the Wildcats with 10:52 left in the first half with Favreau getting two goals and assists on the other three.
But there was still plenty of game left.
No longer were the Centaurs yelling out cutters and it bothered Colin Liscomb in net. The sophomore was lights out, but suddenly the Wildcats (2-5, 1-3) scored seven of the next eight goals and owned an 8-6 lead at the break.
The Centaurs were much more focused after the half and it showed in the confidence of their keeper.
Liscomb played much better in the third and fourth quarters and in the extra period, allowing only one goal over the next 32-plus minutes.
“He’s unstoppable,” Favreau said of Liscomb. Favreau added three assists to his four goals and now has 18 goals and 14 assists on the season. Favreau is the team’s leading scorer with 32 points while Holcomb (16 goals, 12 assists) has 28.
Libby had two goals for the Centaurs in the game with Ethan Haass, Alex Wojciechowski and Geoff Vallone all getting one.
It made for a memorable Senior Day, but the Centaurs still have eight games to play.
So why was it already Senior Day?
Because all of the remaining games for Woodstock Academy are on the road.
The only other game of the week for the Centaurs was the close loss to Fitch.
Favreau, Libby and Holcomb all scored two goals each while Haass and Sean McCusker also tallied.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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