CONCORD — A six-goal performance from sophomore Alex Fivek helped steer Concord-Carlisle to a 10-7 comeback victory over Reading.
The Patriots (5-1) handed Reading its first boys lacrosse loss of the season. Head coach Jon Smith said the victory was a sign of the team hitting its stride as it prepares for the middle of the season.
“This team had some stuff in the offseason and now we are all finally together and it’s awesome,” Smith said. “This is what we are hopefully capable of. We are in a great spot as a team going into vacation week.”
Fivek got the Patriots on the board just a few seconds in but the Rockets quickly grabbed momentum and built a lead. It started with a strike from Cullen Granara and then tallies from Nick Casarano and Nate Mulvey gave the Rockets a 3-1 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Tyler Nicholas scored off a feed from Granara to give Reading a 4-1 lead early in the second quarter. However, it would be quite a long time before they found the back of the net a fifth time as the Concord-Carlisle defense quickly became a factor.
“They scored at 11:06 in the second and didn’t score again until a minute left in the third,” Smith said. “The defense really figured them out and got it together.”
During that drought, Fivek scored three more and Alex Kosinki netted another to help the Patriots get a 5-4 lead. Joe Castelli broke through late in the third to make it a 5-5 game but Fivek beat the buzzer to give the Patriots a 6-5 lead as they entered the final quarter.
“They’re comfortable with me shooting as long as I keep scoring,” Fivek said. “If I’m not, we’ll have to figure something out, but we like the way it looks now.”
Kosicki and John Anderson quickly piled on goals to give the Patriots a significant 8-5 lead as the team played a run-and-gun style of offense.
“We’re trying to play a little bit faster than we have in the past,” Smith said. “We have found that it gets a little more hectic but it gives us more opportunities. We had a few wraparound goals and ones in transition today. That six-on-six style can be hard to win so we try to play a bit faster and open it up.”
Mulvey scored two late ones for the Rockets and Jason Swaim added the final Patriots’ tally. As the team prepares for the rest of the season, Fivek said they know they have passed one notable test.
“We only have a few big challenges this year and this was one we needed to execute on,” Fivek said. “I really locked in, shot a lot before the game and it all started coming together for me.”
