Ellington takes lacrosse rivalry match against Somers

Ellington — The Ellington boys’ lacrosse team walked away with a 14-11 victory over Somers, on April 19, in a game played in New England weather conditions that included wind, bright sun, dark clouds, rain, and (very briefly) a few hailstones.

Somers opened the scoring, but Ellington quickly roared back with five unanswered goals, and it appeared a rout was on. The Spartans struggled to find the net, despite taking several shots. Offense picked up a little for Somers in the second half, but a comeback wasn’t in the cards.

“We didn’t finish our shots, early,” said Somers coach Ken McCarthy. “They were lights out, shooting. Every shot they shot was on cage and a good position. We had opportunities early, and we either missed the cage or we put it right in the goalie’s [John Hintze] stick. Their goalie had a great game.”

“Hintze played very well,” said Ellington coach Dave Giordano. “He played phenomenal and that really helped us. When you play a team like Somers, who is so disciplined in their shot placement and shot selection, he came up big for us.”

The Knights’ offense, the coach said, was also meticulous in its shot placement.

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“In previous games, we kind of rushed our shots a little bit,” Giordano said. “We’ve really been focused on [being aware that] just because you see something, doesn’t mean it’s the best opportunity. Not only does that put points on the board, it really chews up the clock a little bit.”

Practices for Somers will include more shooting drills, as well as other aspects.

“We need to work on shooting. We need to work on decision-making, sharing the ball, and when that’s appropriate,” McCarthy said.

With a rematch scheduled for May 12, the coaches said the outcome could be different, as the playing surface will be.

“This was at their place on grass,” McCarthy said. “We will be prepared ad ready for them in Somers on turf. I think you’ll see a different game.”

“Home field advantage, in terms of playing on grass vs. playing on turf - sometimes you’re the fly and sometimes you’re the windshield,” Giordano said. “Today, we did some things well, and hopefully we can do those same things well when we’re at their place. But, there are no guarantees, especially when you’re playing teams as perennially as good as Somers.”

For complete schedules and results, visit www.ciacsports.com.