MEDFIELD — Playing a tough schedule can be daunting, but often pays off in the long run.
Medfield’s boys lacrosse team has become accustomed to such a lifestyle, and the Warriors knocked off their latest titan Tuesday night.
Junior attackman Braeden Sutton (four goals, assist) and Skidmore College commit Ben Lusby (hat trick) paced things offensively, as the Warriors toppled one of the state’s best with a stunning 13-8 romp of Lincoln-Sudbury.
“It’s great,” said Medfield coach John Isaf. “L-S, are you kidding me? They’re a great program … think they were third in your (Herald) poll. We played a good game against Hingham three or so weeks ago. So I knew what our team was capable of, we just hadn’t seen it (in a while). I’m glad to see that team back, showing what we’re capable of.”
It was a fascinating matchup between schools each leading their respective set of MIAA power rankings. Lincoln-Sudbury (11-3) was listed atop Div. 1, while Medfield (14-2) was pacing Div. 3 as of Tuesday. As expected, it turned into a chess match during the first half with the historic programs trading goals.
After a scoreless drought lasting 8:05 to start the game, Brady Malo caught lightning in a bottle for Lincoln-Sudbury, sniping a pair of goals in 33 seconds to provide his group a 2-0 edge.
Medfield responded as the horn sounded on the first quarter, as Sutton fought his way to the net for a wild goal in the closing seconds to trim things to 2-1.
However, Lincoln-Sudbury had an answer, and an emphatic one at that as goaltender Rex Garozzo jogged up the field with possession. The sophomore wasn’t challenged, so he decided to press his luck and began sprinting while the defense scrambled to collect. In stunning fashion, he skipped to the net, and potted a goal as Lincoln-Sudbury built a 3-1 advantage.
Medfield kept on battling, as the Warriors cut it to a 4-3 game at the half off a goal from freshman attackman Eddie Breslin.
“We kind of started off a little bit flat,” said Sutton. “But after the goalie goal, I think this team kind of picked it up after that. We realized that we needed to step it up a little bit. Got some more energy, banged in a few more. Then in the second half we just started rolling.”
After Lincoln-Sudbury pushed its lead to 5-3 off a goal by Will Fosnot, Medfield rattled off five consecutive tallies in a 3:30 span of the third quarter. Breslin got things going with his second goal, before Maverick MacPherson found the cage. Sutton completed his hat trick, followed by a pair of strikes from Lusby.
In shocking fashion, the Warriors had flipped the game on its head, seizing an 8-5 lead entering the final stanza.
“Looking at the scoreboard and seeing we were down kind of lit a fire under me,” Lusby said. “I figured hey, someone’s got to get going, it might as well be me.”
When the fourth quarter began, Medfield kept the pedal to the metal. Sutton sniped his fourth goal, before Lusby finished off his own hat trick 1:11 later to make it an 11-6 game with 8:50 to play.
MacPherson finished two tallies, while Ian Reddy and Jack Commane also netted goals in the comeback win for Medfield. Malo led Lincoln-Sudbury with four goals, while Rex Friedholm and Tyler Deede found the cage as well.
The path doesn’t ease up much for Medfield, however. The Warriors will battle Reading, another vaunted opponent to look forward to.
“I think we’ve just got to forget about (this),” Sutton said. “Put it in the past, act like it didn’t happen, and just move on to Reading for Friday.”