McCann Tech Lacrosse Falls in State Vocational Semi-Final
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The McCann Tech boys lacrosse team Sunday took another step forward, but it is South Shore that will be moving on to the State Vocational Small School Division title game.
The Vikings earned a 13-5 win to advance through the semi-finals.
But for the Hornets’ third-year program, just being in the state tournament was something to build on.
And coach Paul Lange’s team will have a chance to use the experience right away when it plays Tuesday evening for a chance to contend for the Suburban League title.
“We have two more games left in our regular season, and I think seeing someone from outside of Western Mass will certainly help us with the MIAA tournament coming up,” Lange said.
And with two regular season league games coming up, starting with Tuesday’s home game against Suburban-leading Belchertown, owner of a 10-1 win over McCann back in early April.
Since starting the season 1-2, however, McCann Tech was 8-3 going into Sunday afternoon’s contest.
The Hornets came in confident and started the game with an early lead when Darian Tovani bounced home a shot in the fourth minute of the game.
South Shore responded with a three-goal run, but Jason Delisle fired home a low liner from the top of the box to get the Hornets within one, 3-2, with 4 minutes, 16 seconds left in the first half.
The Vikes went up 6-2 early in the second, but the Hornets (9-6) continued to battle.
First, Darius Tovani picked up a ground ball, found some space high on the left side and fired an overhand shot into the goal. Then, Darian Tovani spun off a defender and fired a circus shot while going to the ground to make it 6-4.
That kind of fighting spirit is what Lange has come to expect from his team.
“They’ve got the hearts of lions,” he said. “They battled, and they worked hard. They didn’t give up. They kept pushing to the end, even when we were down seven goals there right at the end.”
South Shore started to pull away late in the second quarter, scoring the last three goals of the first half to take a 9-4 lead into the break.
It was just a 10-4 margin going into the fourth quarter after a both teams clamped down defensively in the third. The Vikings managed the only two shots on goal in the quarter and got just one of them past McCann Tech goalie Keegan Dellaghelfa (15 saves)
But South Shore put the game out of reach with a pair of goal in a 34-second span midway through the fourth to open a 12-4 lead.
Darian Tovani got one back, converting a man-up chance, but the visitors tacked on a goal in the final minute.
VIDEO: Darius Tovani scores for McCann Tech Lacrosse in Sunday’s State Voc semi-final loss to South Shore.