Billerica, 15-8 (final)
Billerica emerges with a 15-8 triumph over Lowell in a Merrimack Valley Conference battle.
Kind of a perfunctory fourth quarter with Billerica settling its offense and putting in a couple of goals to punctuate this decisive win.
3rd quarter
Billerica, 13-7 (end of 3rd)
Billerica's Jeff Scarfo tacks one on before the end of the frame and Billerica leads Lowell, 13-7, heading to the final frame.
After initially letting that six-goal lead slip away, the Indians came right back to push it up to that same level before the break.
Billerica, 12-7 (2:00, 3rd)
Lowell scored three of the first four goals in the second half to twice make this a three-goal game, but Billerica has responded to push its lead back to a more comfortable margin.
2nd quarter
Billerica, 9-3 (half)
Billerica scored eight of the game's first nine goals, including a string of seven in a row, to take a commanding first-half lead and the Indians boast a 9-3 advantage over Lowell at the intermission of a Merrimack Valley Conference battle.
The names have changed, but the style remains the same. Billerica is attacking off the faceoff (with midfielder Adam Foss dominated in the circle) and that's leading to quick goals in transition as the Lowell defense can't get set up.
Billerica and Lowell traded early goals, but it was all Indians for the next 16 minutes. Billerica has utilized seven different goal scorers as only Mike Slatton and Grant Whiteway have multiple tallies.
Billerica's Pat O'Loughlin has been strong in net, while Lowell's Tim Finnegan has prevented further damage with some nice stops.
The Raiders seem a bit too reliant on senior midfielder Greg Demetriou to create on offense. His stick skills are phenomenal, but he needs some help against an aggressive Billerica defense that is absolutely attacking as soon as the ball comes out of a stick.
1st quarter
Billerica, 5-1 (end of 1st)
Billerica's Mike Slatton scored twice, while teammates Joe Dangelo, Greg Melaugh, and Grant Whiteway each added a goal as the Indians lead visiting Lowell, 5-1, after the first quarter.
Billerica scored the final four goals of the frame. They seem to have shook off some early rust and really controlled the final eight minutes of the frame.
Pregame
Welcome to Billerica, where the third-ranked Indians are set to host Merrimack Valley Conference rival Lowell.
The Raiders just arrived on this gorgeous, sun-splashed afternoon. Forsberg Cruiser sets the temp at a get-ready-to-break-out-the-flip-flops 62 degrees.
Back with more throughout the afternoon.
***
We'll be live from Alumni Field this afternoon, where the third-ranked Billerica boys' lacrosse team hosts Lowell in an early season Merrimack Valley Conference showdown at 4 p.m.
Billerica (1-0) is coming off an ultra-successful 2007 campaign in which the Indians advanced to the Division 1 state semifinals before falling to Xaverian in double overtime. Billerica opened the new season with a 15-3 triumph over Tewksbury.
Lowell (3-0) has started the 2008 season with wins over North Middlesex, Masconomet, and Dracut. The Raiders got off to a similar hot start last season and finished the year with a 16-6 mark, falling to Andover in the Division 1 tournament.
We're interested to see how Billerica looks after graduation hit hard, while we're wondering if Lowell is the real deal this season. We'll know more after today's game.
Our early season lacrosse blitz continues Thursday with a doubleheader of coverage. We'll start the day in Cohasset, where the undefeated Skippers are set to host top-ranked Duxbury at 4 p.m. We're then hoping to catch some of the St. John's Prep vs. BC High tilt on the way back through the city. That game is set to start at 5:30 p.m.
For your girls' lacrosse fans, we're hoping to catch a potential state championship preview on Saturday when top-ranked Westwood hosts Longmeadow (last year's Division 1 runner-up) at Flahive Field at 3 p.m.
Comment
Permalink
E-mail
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Look for updates from:
- Bob Holmes: A Reading resident (Go Rockets!) and Boston College graduate, Holmes is the Boston Globe High School Sports Editor. We remind you now that his weekly picks are often made in jest so everyone just calm down when he picks against Everett for 11 straight weeks.
- Mike Carraggi: An Everett native (Go Tide!), Mike attends Eastern Nazarene college and is entering his second year with the Globe. He'll focus on Division 1 this fall, which means he'll spend a lot of time in his hometown, which Forsberg thinks is cool because the Tide have that Fried Dough cart.
- Emily Wright: A Hyannis native (Go Barnstable Red Raiders!), Emily is a senior at Emerson College and has been with the Globe since the end of July. She'll cover Division 1A and will be the first intern we've trusted to navigate her way to Dennis-Yarmouth or any other school on the Cape.
- Mike Grossi: A Lexington native (Go Minutemen!), Mike attends Northeastern and has been with the Globe for two months. He'll cover Division 2 and 2A and unsuccessfully lobbied to include Lexington in the preseason Top 20.
- Jonathan Raymond: A native of Benicia, Calif. (a suburb of San Francisco), Jonathan attends Northeastern and has been working at the Globe since the end of June. He will be focusing on Division 3 and is likely woefully underprepared for covering a game in a foot of snow.
- David Carty: A native of West Bridgewater (Go Wildcats!), David is a senior at Emerson College and has been working at the Globe for a year. He'll cover Divisions 3A and 4 because, "small school ball is in my blood."
- The bench: You'll also catch updates from our regional contributors, including Globe North's Julian Benbow and South's Monique Walker. Correspondent Brendan Hall will have updates from the Globe West coverage area and will often try to sneak in Central Mass. news.
