The Conard boys lacrosse team lost to Stamford High School 9-8 on Saturday in West Hartford.

By Paul Palmer

Conard and Stamford left it all on the field as the two sides battled in a qualifier game Saturday in the CIAC Class L boys lacrosse tournament.

Played under a blazing sun without a cloud in the sky, the two teams – both 7-9 on the season – saw it come down to a final Conard shot that bounced off a defender and sealed the win for the Black Knights ,9-8.

“I feel so bad for our senior players,” said Red Wolves coach Matt Cersosimo. “They worked so hard, and this was just a great game. You have to give Stamford a lot of credit.”

The game featured series of momentum switches that saw each team take the lead, only for the other to race back with their own goal. Stamford’s John Frattaroli opened the scoring 11:52 of the first as the Black Knights won the opening draw and took it right in the for score. Conard had to wait until 6:10 of the first to get its first shot, and it was worth the wait when Julian Schneider tied things up with his goal.

The visitors took the lead with 1:23 to play in the opening period when goalie Brayden Mangini made a save with his chest of a hard shot, but the rebound went right to Stamford’s Ben Coutant who deposited it into the net for the 2-1 lead.

In the second period, Conard’s offense got on a roll after a pair of good saves by Mangini. At 11:01, Ben Halpert scored while moving left to right across the face of the cage, and less than one minute later it was Nicholas Katsaros scoring on the rebound for the Red Wolves to give them their first lead of the day at 3-2. Thirty-five seconds later, Nick Paolitto’s shot tipped in off the stick of teammate John Doyle.

Playing a man down with 4:17 to go, defenseman Jules Capone joined the rush and was rewarded when he scored his teams fifth goal of the game.

The biggest momentum-changer in the game came with under one minute to play in the half. With Stamford on the attack, the penalty flag was thrown against Conard for a check to the head. Stamford retained possession and scored with 44 to go. The Black Knights then found themselves with a two-man advantage. Ten seconds into the advantage a series of one-touch passes resulted in a goal for Justin Bacco and it was a 5-4 game.

The Black Knights would still  have 1:26 of the man advantage remaining to open the second half. “The penalty certainly swung the momentum in their favor, but we can’t put ourselves in that position,” said Conard’s Cersosimo.

The second half began with Stamford down one goal, but up one man for 1:26, and possession began in the alley behind the Conard net. The Black Knights wasted little time and found the equalizer when Coutant scored 57 seconds into the period and an early save from Conard goalie Mangini. The two sides each had their chances on offense in the third with neither gaining a goal until Chris Restaino scored with 3:38 to give Stamford the lead at 6-5.

With just over two minutes to play in the third, Conard had the man advantage but it was the visiting side getting the goal. It started with Ian Duggan making a long possession run and feeding Frattaroli who made it 7-5. Conard would get one back on a great individual effort by Capone. Starting in his own defensive zone, he controlled the ground ball by flipping over the stick of a Stamford player. He then scooped it and made the full field run before dishing off the ball. Capone then set up in front of the goal and saw teammate Katsaros hit pay dirt with 39 to go.

One area where Stamford had the clear advantage all game was in the draw, and they made it pay off at the start of the final period. After controlling the draw, they held possession for nearly two minutes before Bennett Vetti beat Mangini with a shot to give his team a two-goal lead at 8-6. The Red Wolves responded 50 seconds later and it was Jordan Lawson scoring.

With 7:21 to play, Stamford’s Camerin Jean Pierre emerged from a scrum of players with the ball. He knocked over the first Conard player that tried to stop him, then split a pair of defenders before scoring to make it 9-7.

As the clock started to wind down, Conard had its chances but a combination of good defense and bad luck kept them from scoring, Liam Alver saw his close-in shot bounce just over the crossbar as Stamford goalie Theo Kehle charged towards him. Just over a minute later it was Kehle again, this time with a big foot save. The Red Wolves moved to within one with 1:54 to play on the effort of Halpert. Denied a path to the net by a defender he spun off and fired a shot on goal that beat Kehle and it was 9-8.

Stamford looked to run out the remaining time with a patient possession, but Conard gained control only to see Halpert’s shot blocked, but the Red Wolves retained possession. With 53 to go a costly turnover put the ball back in Stamford’s possession, and they took a timeout. On the ensuing possession  a violation was called, turning the ball back over to Conard for one last chance.

A big shot from 25 yards out banged off a defender’s body and with a clear, Stamford sealed the victory.

After the game, Cersosimo reflected on the work of his players and coaches all season long. “They  came to work and to get better every day. I am super proud to be associated with them. I’m sad to see it end.”

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