The Pinkerton Academy boys’ lacrosse squad is intent upon getting itself to the top of Division I, and a state championship will only be had by the team if it can defeat the perennial division champions from the Bishop Guertin Cardinals of Nashua.
So facing up to tests and succeeding with them is vital for the Astros. And the local laxmen thumped their way past one D-I opponent which didn’t test the academy squad much and then got a significant test from a Massachusetts team last week.
Coach Brian O’Reilly’s Astros made relatively easy work of the rival Londonderry High Lancers in D-I action in Derry on Thursday, April 17, taking a 17-6 victory after leading from start to finish.
The academy side was up 6-1 after one quarter, 10-3 at halftime, and 16-3 at the end of three periods.
Evan Sweeney netted six goals for the victors, Bailey Walsh also enjoyed a six-point game with five goals and an assist, Jake Lisauskas was good for five points on three goals and two assists, and Brett Dattilo came up with four points on two goals and two assists.
Sean Delea potted two goals, Todd Billetter notched a goal and an assist, and James Tulley and Jack Hanaway each scored once.
Cam Hayward made four saves in the PA net and Nick Richard had three, giving Pinkerton a divisional record of a perfect 2-0.
“We are doing a nice job of ball movement on offense, our defense has done a good job of controlling the opponent’s attack, and our faceoff domination is giving us ball control,” said O’Reilly of the victory. “There is still a need for improvement on possessing ground balls, but overall we are progressing well.”
The Astros then took on the Massachusetts powerhouse Longmeadow contingent, which entered the Saturday match in Derry with a 5-0 record.
The Bay State boys bagged an 11-9 win but had their hands full with their hosts.
The Astros led by a 3-1 tally after one period, but Longmeadow enjoyed a 3-1 scoring advantage in quarter two to leave the score knotted up at 4-4 at halftime.
The visitors then finished the third quarter with a 9-7 lead, and both sides potted two goals in the fourth quarter to get to the final, 11-9 score.
Billetter scored three times, Lisauskas scored twice and assisted once, Walsh scored two goals, Austin Maylor potted one goal and assisted on one, and Dattilo contributed one goal. Hayward was good for 16 big stops in his team’s cage.
The Astros then returned to D-I play with a Monday, April 21 meeting with the Salem High Blue Devils in Derry.
The Astros returned to their winning ways by handing the Blue Devils a 12-4 defeat in Derry.
