York boys lacrosse team wins two overtime thrillers

Robertson, Leonard score game-winning goals.

By Mike Miazga

Correspondent

The York boys lacrosse team scored two major conference wins lately and did so in dramatic fashion.

The Dukes were 8-7 overtime winners at Hinsdale Central and then won 6-5 in extra sessions against Lyons Township.

“Those were two very big wins,” said York coach Don Canfield. “In the Lyons game we were down 5-2 with six minutes left. That was a pretty big comeback. We didn’t adjust to much against them and just stuck with our game plan. We found the open guy and buried our chances. Early on, we couldn’t capitalize, but at the end of the game we had some good looks.”

Steve Robertson put in the game-winner against Hinsdale Central, while David Leonard had the game-winning goal against Lyons Township.

Canfield also cited recent strong play from goalies Finn McCarthy and Artie Renier.

“Our goalies have split time,” he said. “Finn is our first-half goalie and then Artie plays the second half and has played the overtime. Both have done a good job.”

York has been bolstered on the defensive end by Pierceson Mapes, Canfield said. “Pierceson has played really well,” the coach said.

Gavin Vandenberg has been a spark on the offensive end, while Cory Jaeger has helped the Dukes on faceoffs.

The two recent conference wins put York at 6-1 overall and 2-1 in WSC play. York’s only loss was to Glenbard West in conference play.

“The kids have a lot of fight in them,” said Canfield. “When we are out there playing games, they are pretty intense. They play hard and they fight for everything throughout the game. They don’t stop. And when it comes time to play, they play very well together. It’s a close-knit group of guys and it’s an easy group of guys to coach. They are very responsive.”

York started play earlier this week in the St. Viator tournament against Schaumburg.