After winning thrilling matches in the semifinals, Benet and Naperville North meet up in the boys lacrosse sectional championship. In their regular season matchup, the Redwings walked away with an 11-6 victory over the Huskies.
1st Quarter
Early on, Michael Frieri eludes some Huskie defenders and races down the field before unleashes a shot that zips by the goalkeeper for the score. This one gives Benet a quick 3-0 lead with 9:12 left in the 1st.
Now with 4 minutes to go in the opening quarter, this is Cam Randolph blowing by his defender and sending a low shot into the net for another goal. Redwings go up 4-0.
Not even a minute later, Ryan Gilligan finds Jayson Shumate near the net and he tosses in the easy goal. The Huskies are on the board, but trail 4-1.
Later on, North is threatening again but this shot from Mattix Groves is deflected away by goalkeeper Kol Shields and Benet is able to regain possession. The Redwing defense stands strong.
2nd Quarter
Now in the second quarter, Brian Griffin takes the pass from Erik Lorenzl and his shot finds the back of the net. Benet goes up 7-1 with 6:30 in the 2nd quarter.
Moments later, its Lorenzl’s turn to take a shot and it’s a good one. With this score, the Benet lead swells to 10-1 with 4:30 left in the half.
3rd Quarter
Moving along to the second half, Ryan Gilligan connects with Harrison Muller near the crease and puts it in the net. Huskies down 12-4 with just under ten minutes to play.
4th Quarter
Fast forward to the 4th quarter, Tommy Tierney evades a Husky defender and then takes a big hit as he fires a shot past the goalkeeper. This one extends the Redwing lead to 15-5 with 7:11.
Now with under 5 minutes to go, it’s desperation time for North. Here’s Gavin Merriman knifing through the defense and nets his second goal of the game. Huskies fighting to the end with three straight goals.
Just a minute later, Merriman is on the offensive again and converts his third goal of the quarter and he’s pumped up. It’s 15-9 with just over three minutes left in the 4th.
But the Redwings would put a halt to the Huskies momentum as Cam Randolph circles around the goal and nets his third goal of the game. A hat trick for the senior who seals the victory for Benet as the Redwings claim their first ever boys lacrosse sectional championship.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!