Titans power past Pats, improve to 6-3

Brenton Bauerle
Posted 5/7/15

It is an old but sadly true adage that if a coach’s post-game message is…

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Titans power past Pats, improve to 6-3

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It is an old but sadly true adage that if a coach’s post-game message is that his team needs to improve their fundamentals – the very basics of the game – his team more than likely suffered through a game worth forgetting. Such was the case on Monday, as the Pilgrim Patriots fell at the hands of the Toll Gate Titans in convincing fashion, by a final score of 15-8.

Pre-game, Pilgrim head coach Erik Stachurski gave a rousing speech to his team, exhorting them to roll three lines and stay composed in their efforts to contain a dangerous Toll Gate attack. And in the first quarter, the strategy seemed to be paying off, as Pilgrim drew first blood and held a 1-0 lead until late in the first quarter.

The tide quickly turned, however, as the vaunted Titans’ attack made its presence known, ending the quarter on a 4-1 run. Having looked sharp to open the game, the Pats faltered both defensively, allowing the Titans to enter the crease at will, and offensively, where a bevy of inaccurate passes led to turnovers in the offensive zone.

“We couldn’t connect two passes, and we put the ball on the ground way too much,” said Stachurski. “That is one of the best attacks in the state, and you can’t leave goals on the ground against them.”

From then on, the game wasn’t much of a contest; by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Toll Gate had built an immense 15-4 lead, led by star midfielder Will Patenaude, who registered a hat trick and several assists, and had yet to cease pressuring the Pats all over the field.  

“(Will) wants the ball, and when he gets the ball he’s just calm, cool and collected,” said Toll Gate head coach Mike Vadney. “He just flat out loves to play lacrosse, and he’s in his element when he has the ball.”

Towards the end of the game, after the outcome was no longer in question, Vadney curiously seemed to keep his main attackers in, leading to the three goals that ballooned Toll Gate’s total to 15 – well after the game was in hand. When asked about what some might view as an unsportsmanlike strategy, Vadney defended the move by arguing that the extra time on the field held a value to his team beyond running up the score.

“We were working on playing offense against a zone defense, and we saw Pilgrim was working a zone, so we thought it would be helpful to get some more experience in that regard,” said Vadney.

Pilgrim did eventually score four unanswered goals to make the margin respectable, but it was evident that it still has a long way to go. Nevertheless, Stachurski feels that his team is steadily improving.

“We’re a young team, but it’s still no excuse,” said Stachurski. “I feel good because I think we’re on the cusp, and we’re a young team, so look out for us.”

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