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Photos: Jack Western
York men’s lacrosse 1sts overcame the bitter conditions to record a victory over Bangor 1sts on the 3G at York Sport Village this afternoon.
The team were expecting a difficult encounter against a strong Bangor side, but in reality their strong performance meant that the victory was never in doubt. Bangor had to put in a strong final quarter to give the final scoreline a degree of respectability.
From the first passage of play, York looked set for a good day. Having won the opening face-off, they embarked on a long series of patient build-up play, looking composed in possession. Then seemingly out of nowhere Joe Tebbutt drove into a gap in the Bangor defence to score the opening goal.
The first quarter ended 6-0, with Tebbutt, Chris Menon and Andy Thomas scoring two apiece. Menon set off on a mazy run before firing home to double the advantage. Tebbut could have had more than two, with another shot well saved by the Bangor keeper, and he also provided the assist for Thomas’ opener. Captain William Chun also came close to scoring as his shot hit the frame of the goal, before Menon scored from range to round off the quarter.
In sum, York bossed the opening period. There was only one moment where the team was genuinely tested, but the stout York defence had little trouble in completeing a first quarter shutout of their opponents.
In truth, the game was a much closer affair from here on in, but York were never in any trouble. The score was extended to 10-0 in the second quarter, with three goals from Tebbutt and another from Thomas. Tebbutt’s fourth of the game saw his initial shot well saved by the Bangor keeper, but it fell kindly for him to flick home at the second attempt.
Shortly before half-time, Bangor finally got on the board, which left the half-time score at 10-1, a well-deserved lead. Though there was a slight drop-off in the second half performance of York, this was more than understandable given the strong start and difficult conditions. Bangor, having barely got a look in in the first half, finally started to string some better play together after regrouping during the interval.
It was that pair again, Tebbutt and Thomas, whose goals bolstered the lead to 12-1, though credit must also be given to ‘keeper Billy Rooks who made a number of smart saves in the third and fourth quarters. Having had little to do earlier in the game (and no doubt feeling the cold more than most) Rooks was made busier as time went on, but impressed as York continued to restrict the Bangor attack.
It was only in the final quarter when Bangor truly reached a par with York. Scott Nuckey scored to make it 13-1, but two late goals from Bangor made the final score 13-3. Though York’s attacking play started to falter in the late period, not being as fluid as earlier in the game, they were still able to cause some problems to Bangor and, but for a couple of errors, could easily have added to their total.
Delighted captain William Chun said the team “did really really well as today was our toughest game,” and was pleased to get a cup run underway after reaching the final last year. He also encouraged his team to take “the same attitude from our play today into next week,” for the crunch match with Durham 2nds. Asked if he was confident they could get another win next week, Chun replied, simply, “Yes.”