Heartbreak haunts the Wildcats for the second year in a row.
The Saint Ignatius lacrosse team posted an incredible effort against the Archbishop Moeller Crusaders, but it simply was not meant to be. The Crusaders bested the Wildcats in a heart-pounding double overtime contest, 9-8, sending the Lax Cats home with the inaugural OHSAA Tournament Runner-Up trophy.
The Wildcats posted a valiant effort, converting on open shots and playing stout defense, especially with Carter Blossey. Anthony Ameo also netted 6 ground balls, setting a Saint Ignatius single season record.
The Lax Cats finish with a 14-8 record on the season after the defeat at Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday.
The contest began just the way the Wildcats wanted it to. Bain Kurtz found an opening on the near left side, and Michael Boehm found him with a perfect pass. The goal granted the Wildcats the lead just 17 seconds into the contest.
The Crusaders responded with a possession, poking around the Wildcats' net before Justin Miller found the back of it at the 7:54 mark to tie the contest.
Moeller persisted on offense, but Carter Blossey stood strong with an outstanding save, one of his eight in the first half. The Wildcats then retook the lead, courtesy of a Connor Cmiel ripper on a pass from Boehm again.
The Crusaders' #26, Justin Miller, then contributed to another tying goal. The junior connected with Cory Lockwood for a tally to knot it up at 2.
Following a thrilling final three minutes of the quarter, marked by raucous cheering by both fan bases, the men of Ignatius and Moeller received a break, tied at 2.
The Lax Cats stole back the lead with a pair of goals early in the second quarter. Grayson Gerard fired a shot into the net from the right side, and Nathan Conry dashed and danced into the middle, rocketing the ball into the net for the 4-2 lead.
The Crusaders then stole the possession, but nearly turned it over before an overturned call by the referee granted the Crusaders the ball. Moeller took advantage, narrowing the deficit to one on a Lucas Klaver goal at the 7:56 mark. A faceoff violation granted the Crusaders the ball back, and Moeller followed it up with a goal with 6:35 left in the second.
The tally tied up the contest and led Head Coach Garen Distelhorst '96 to burn a timeout.
The teams then fought back and forth for the next five minutes before the Wildcats took a slashing penalty with 1:35 left in the half. The penalty resulted in a man-up goal for the Crusaders with 31.2 seconds left in the period, granting Moeller its first lead of the contest, 5-4, which it took into the break.
Not happy with the way the first half ended, the Wildcats knotted the contest at 5 within the first minute. Conry came from X and buried it in the back of the net for his second score of the day.
The Wildcats took back the lead with 8:22 left in the third. Boehm lofted a behind-the-back pass to Brent Chernosky, who tossed the ball into the net as he was falling to the turf. Wildcats' lacrosse fans might not see a prettier gritty goal for a long time.
A lengthy Crusaders possession had the Wildcats fans nervous for the final minutes of the quarter, but Blossey's saves and the Wildcats' persistence on defense turned away the Crusaders. The period ended with the Wildcats still in the lead, 6-5.
Just like the first three quarters, the Wildcats struck first. Following a perfectly executed clear, the Lax Cats scored on a fast break. Conry hauled in a pass and lifted a cross-crease pass to Boehm, who juked out the netminder and tabbed the ball into the net. Boehm looked like LeBron James crossing over a defender at the hoop.
A few minutes later, with the 7:46 remaining, Brendan Sigurdson took a pass from Lucas Klever and ripped it into the net to bring Moeller within one, 7-6. Miller's second goal of the evening then tied the contest with 6:54 left on the clock.
An Anthony Ameo faceoff win simmered down a boisterous Moeller crowd and led to a much-needed Saint Ignatius possession. The Wildcats could not score, however, unlike Sigurdson, who netted his third of the evening with 4:06 remaining, giving the Crusaders an 8-7 lead.
Following a faceoff win, the Wildcats took a timeout to breathe and game plan. The plan resulted in a turnaround tally by Riley Kinzel with 2:13 left, tying the contest and sending the Wildcats faithful into a tizzy.
After a turnover, the Crusaders took over possession for the waning minutes. Moeller took a timeout with 35.2 seconds left to come up with a scoring play. The Wildcats thwarted the effort, and the game went into overtime.
The teams traded possessions, first with a Wildcats' shot, then a Moeller shot and a Blossey save with two minutes left. The Wildcats possessed the ball until a turnover with 49 seconds left. The Crusaders kept the ball for the remainder of the period, drawing a slashing penalty on the Wildcats with 4.1 seconds left in the overtime. The Crusaders held the ball for the remainder of the period, taking the man-advantage into the second overtime.
For about 30 seconds, the Wildcats fended off the penalty, and battled hard. But the Crusaders converted in the second overtime on a Logan Dieball goal from straightaway to win it, ending the Wildcats' historic and amazing season.
Kudos and congratulations to Coach D and the Lax Cats on an exceptional year. You proved all the critics and doubters wrong – you deserve to be mentioned among the greats. Also, a big thank you to the team's seniors. You represented the program with class – good luck next year in college, men.