“This is why they’re called heartbreakers,” said senior Rob Dorr after last week’s neck-and-neck match against the University of New England.
And it really was a heartbreaker – the Huskies weren’t losing until there were just 41.7 seconds left on the clock, when UNE rallied for the tie-breaker and a 9-8 come-from-behind win.
Coming out of the first half, the game was tied at five. The Huskies came out on fire, scoring three in the third quarter off the momentum they’d gained in the second. But they couldn’t maintain it, and couldn’t manage to score at all in the fourth quarter, while UNE maintained composure and fired four past senior goalie James Suriyodorn.
But, as he looked back on the game, Dorr admitted that it was one of the best the men played all season. “I was really pushing for us to pull it off,” he said, “but – shoulda,woulda, coulda.”
And despite the final score, he wasn’t hanging his head. Quite the opposite, he said, “it was just a fun game to play in.”
Junior Preston Gilbert, who leads the team with 30 goals and 29 assists and who led the scoring effort against UNE with four goals, wasn’t so quick to let the loss slide under the rug. While he was eager to point out that the Husky defense “played unbelievably,” he said he’d put a lot on his shoulders, so when he couldn’t come through at the end, he took the hit personally.
Following the loss, coach Malcolm Chase brought his guys into a huddle while UNE did a cheer and lined up to shake hands. “I told them that’s exactly the kind of games we want to be in,” he said.
“UNE was a formidable opponent,” he said, and one of the only local teams against which his team can play a good, solid match.
After a second loss on Saturday to Keene State, the men’s lacrosse team ended its season 4-12. But lax addicts have no fear, the women’s team is playing in the conference semifinals in Gorham on Thursday.