Thursday, March 31, 2016

Postgame Blog and Video: Marlboro Pushes Past Tyngsboro

Marlboro's Devan Raun, Ryan Mechler and Dominic Carter celebrate a third quarter goal.
By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Ed. Note- This is not a complete game story, only a blog on the game's main points, and a few of my takeaways. Video highlights can be found at the bottom.

The Marlboro Panthers scored a signature win in their home opener against Tyngsboro, riding a 6-0 second half run to top the Tigers 11-8.

Marlboro (1-0), the reigning Mid-Wach C champions, used an emotional second half to outlast Tyngsboro (0-1), the reigning Mid-Wach C champs, but things were played nearly even for the game's first half.

Led by a pair of Matt Butler goals, Tyngsboro took a 5-4 lead into intermission, but wouldn't score again for a quarter and a half, as the Panthers attacked the cage with relentless energy. Sophomore middie Evan Doherty started the run with a cutting goal, and seconds later sophomore attackman Ryan Mechler dropped a dime pass to Dominic Carter, who threw in his third goal of the game.

Sophomore Devan Raun threw home a bomb, followed by a pair of Mechler goals to make it 9-5 at the end of the third.

It was practically over at that point, but Tyngsboro, to their credit, did keep fighting until the end. Still, it was a long and frustrating day for the Tigers' dynamic duo of All-American middie Kyle Laforge and senior attackman Russ Gillis. It just wasn't either of their days, as Laforge's shot was a little off, and Gillis couldn't find the net in the second half.

On the other hand, you have to be impressed with Marlboro's young core. While the Panthers have several talented seniors, such as attackman Jason Plaunt, it was the underclassmen that took over Thursday. Sophomores Mechler, Doherty and Raun, along with the freshman Carter combined for nine of Marlboro's 11 goals, led by Mechler's four.

The other thing really working in Marlboro's favor was its energy. During their 6-0 run in the third and fourth quarters, the Panthers were riding high, thanks in no small part to the energy of their bench and players away from the ball.

While this will go down as a mini-upset, it should probably be noted that several of these Marlboro kids are being recruited by Division 1 colleges, so this didn't exactly come out of left field. Still, with the win, the Panthers have put Central Mass on notice. Ignore them at your peril.

Marlboro Tops Tyngsboro in Opener from Joe Parello on Vimeo.

7 comments :

Anonymous said...

What did Laforge have for stats?

Joe Parello said...

I had him down for 2 assists and 2 ground balls. Though I did miss the first goal of the game, and the Tyngsboro stat book disappeared before I could snap a picture of it. He created a bunch of good looks for himself, but just couldn't put it home. One of those days.

Anonymous said...

He had 4 assists

Joe Parello said...

I'll take your word for it. Like I said, I meant to snap a picture of the Tyngsboro score book and never got the chance. He's a play maker, that's for sure.

Anonymous said...

4 assists? didn't see that .. who's doing the book ..??

Anonymous said...

Clearly weren't watching the game then bc he had that

Anonymous said...

4th highlight on video #18 Dominic Carter scores the goal from Mechler assist