Did it count? Should it have counted? Those questions will haunt the Fayetteville-Manlius boys lacrosse team throughout the off-season.
As the final second of regulation ticked away in last Tuesday night’s Section III Class A semifinal at Cicero-North Syracuse’s Bragman Stadium, the Hornets’ Donovan Welsh, with a point-blank look, sent a shot screaming at Baldwinsville goalie Frank Delia.
Unlike Nick Papa’s drive that clanged off the left post seconds earlier, this one crashed into the net, a clean goal – except that the clock had run to zero and officials immediately ruled that the shot had come after the horn that ended regulation.
In a moment, happiness turned to frustration and anger, and that only grew when, 2:03 into overtime, B’ville’s Ryan Gebhardt, facing a strong double-team, passed to a wide-open Matt Dickman in front of the net, and Dickmant sent it past Ryan Boshart to give the Bees a 9-8 victory.
It was the second year in a row F-M and B’ville had waged a close, memorable post-season battle. Back in 2016, that came in the sectional final, and a last-minute goal won it for the Hornets 8-7. Here, the result went in the other direction.
Not only were the Bees out to avenge last year’s title-game defeat, it also wanted payback for two regular-season losses to F-M, and in order to turn all of those results around, B’ville unleashed a zone defense on F-M from the opening whistle. Kyle Pelcher, Ben Dwyer, David Steria and the rest of the Bees’ back line would frustrate the Hornets even as it controlled most of the early face-offs.
Gebhardt’s back-to-back goals late in the first quarter put B’ville up 3-1, but that was the only two-goal lead either team would enjoy. With Welsh gaining a trio of first-half assists (he finished with four) and Luke Burnam scoring twice, F-M tied it, 4-4, by halftime.
F-M would not trail in the entire second half. Yet all four times it scored to go out in front, the Hornets found itself unable to add to that lead, and B’ville kept answering to tie it up, with Dickman and Austin Bolton netting goals in the third quarter and the defense continually preventing the Hornets from gaining a cushion.
Barely a minute into the fourth quarter, Gebhardt pulled the Bees even again, 7-7, and though Luke Hamel restored F-M’s lead two minutes later, Mike Tangredi’s nifty shot with 6:50 to play created yet another tie.
They stayed 8-8 for the rest of regulation, B’ville, with possession and less than a minute left, called time-out, but Boshart beat back a quick shot attempt seconds after the time-out, and F-M sped down the field before taking its own time-out with 12 seconds left.
Papa, in a terrific position to shoot following a series of quick passes, did so – right off the iron, leaving just two seconds on the clock. Whether that was enough time for Welsh to put in a possible game-winner is something that will get disputed for a long time.
Two days later, F-M made more news when head coach Chris Kenneally told his players that he was retiring. In his career, Keneally picked up 398 wins, including the sectional titles the Hornets won in 2014 and 2016.
