Two Fourths Too Many

It seems that the George Mason High School boys lacrosse team is living a clichéd existence at the moment. Time and again, it’s a case of so close, and yet so far.

Coming off a 12-9 defeat against a Chantilly, a game Mason led until the end of the third quarter, the Mustangs narrowly dropped yet another game to a much larger school, falling to Westfield after again fighting a neck and neck battle for three quarters.

Mason fought off a man-down penalty to start the second quarter and took the lead 3-2 with six minutes remaining in the first half on a laser shot from the point, but Westfield answered one minute and fifteen seconds later, and then capitalized on a Mason penalty to take the lead with two seconds left in the half. Mustang goalie Zach Barrett showed his agility and hand-eye coordination by making three saves in the final minute before the Bulldogs finally broke through on a high shot from about 10-yards out.

“Barrett was just great,” Head Coach Mark Coffren said.

The Mustangs showed their resolve, scoring the first goal in the second half to knot the score at four on a goal by Tommy Pyne, taking advantage of a Westfield slashing penalty. Again Westfield answered, scoring two goals within a minute of one another to push the lead to 6-4 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Mustangs pulled within one when Pynne tallied again, flicking a shot into the net from the angle, but Mason wouldn’t come any closer.

The Bulldogs struck again to end the third, and then in the fourth the shallow Mason roster came into play, as Westfield scored repeated fast break goals to pull away from their persistent foe.

“Our legs ran out in the fourth quarter,” Coffren said. “That’s been the difference in these games.”

The match played closer than the final score would indicate. And Coffren was pleased with the defensive play of Zach Hall, who limited sophomore Evan Royster, one of Virginia’s top athletes according to Coffren, to just two goals. Royster averages six goals a game for the Bulldogs.

While the clichéd results may seem old hat to the Mustangs, there will be no rest for the weary as Mason will have to combat fatigue in enduring four games in seven days, a stretch that began Tuesday against Centreville and continues today at George Mason High School against Thomas Jefferson.