Cain’s goal gives Archbishop Wood 2OT win over Lansdale Catholic
WARMINSTER — The only word to describe Wednesday’s Philadelphia Catholic League matchup between Archbishop Wood and Lansdale Catholic was sloppy.
The game was played under raw, rainy and cold conditions resulting bad passes, dropped balls and undisciplined plays. In the end Wood found the one goal it needed as Tom Cain netted the game winner with 2:41 left in double overtime to give the Vikings the 7-6 win.
“It’s a dreary day, we weren’t expecting the rain,’ Cain said. “We weren’t expecting to force our sticks, we threw bad passes and it was the first thing I said, we need to make smart passes, we need to make smart decisions and we didn’t do that at first,’
While Cain usually leads the Vikings’ offensively, Wednesday featured junior attackman Brian Kent. Kent scored three goals and assisted on another as he scored a big goal late in the third quarter to give the Vikings the lead heading into the fourth.
“If he’s going to score, he’s going to score and if I can keep feeding him, I’ll keep feeding him,’ Cain said. “I need to get used to being doubled and if I’m doubled then somebody’s got to be open and that’s what I’m taught.’
For LC, the offense ran through midfielder Phil White and attack Steve Davis. White assisted on back-to-back Davis goals in the third as Davis racked up three goals and two assists. Although White and Davis were brilliant, the star of the game for LC goalie Bobby Bausman.
“Bobby Bausman. That’s a name that folks should remember,’ LC coach Sean Gracey said. “He’s a sophomore and he’s going to be a Division I athlete. He’s going to make a lot of teams question their shooting.’
As both teams stumbled out of the gate, Bausman made six huge saves in the first half as the Crusaders tried to get their bearings and establish some possession in the offensive end. Bausman continued making huge saves in second half, particularly in some man-up opportunities.
“We come out of warm ups and we get it going pretty early and we do a great job of bring the intensity early,’ said Bausman of his early-game heroics.
As the game and frustrations went on, both Wood and LC turned to physical play that could rival the two schools’ football teams, resulting in a lot of man-up opportunities for both sides — including two multi-man-ups for LC, allowing it to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
“We love playing physical,’ Cain said. “Were a very physical team especially at practice. I think it’s a good thing for us. It’s a fit for us, it’s not a fit for all teams, but it’s a fit for us and being physical is just a part of our game.’
With a team full of inexperienced underclassman, the double overtime loss should prove very valuable to the Crusaders as they continue to move on and develop as the Vikings get to notch a Catholic League win.
“It’s not just about learning the X’s and O’s of lacrosse,’ Gracey said. “It’s about learning a lot of life lessons and teaching the kids when your back’s up against the wall, what are you going to do to respond. Do you try to push your back up against the wall or do you fight forward? It’s a great learning effort for them on and off the field.’
