During a 72-hour period late last week, first-year coach Sean LeBlanc and his Londonderry High boys’ lacrosse team took on two of the biggest challenges they’re likely to face during the 2015 season. And in both cases LeBlanc and his Lancers saw decisions slip into the loss column.
The young warriors took on the two teams that seem to face off against one another in nearly every Division I championship battle – the Bishop Guertin Cardinals of Nashua and the rival Pinkerton Academy Astros – between Thursday and Saturday of last week and went from grasping a 2-1 record to looking at a mark that had slipped to 2-3.
After dropping a 14-5 decision to the defending champs from Guertin in Nashua April 23, the Lancers found themselves in a Beeman Trophy battle with the 2014 Division I runner-up Astros on their home field in Derry on Saturday, April 25.
The 4-1 Astros won the first three quarters – leading 4-1 after one period, 7-3 at halftime, and then 11-3 after three stanzas – before Londonderry kicked its game into a higher, comeback gear and outscored its host by a 3-1 tally during the final period. But a full comeback wasn’t to be in the 12-6 contest.
Astros’ goalie Nick Richard finished the much-anticipated match with 14 saves, but the Lancers received four goals from Sean Snyder, single tallies from Dave Wiedenfeld and Lewis Carroll, and one assist from Shayne Holland.
Londonderry keeper Chris Rowan contributed 10 saves to the effort.