BERLIN – Thursday’s annual backyard brawl between Worcester Prep’s boys’ varsity lacrosse team and neighborhood rival Stephen Decatur produced another classic in the long series with the Mallards winning in overtime on a late goal by Tucker Brown.
It’s always special when crosstown rivals Stephen Decatur and Worcester Prep face off in lacrosse and this year’s brawl produced another classic. The Seahawks hosted the Mallards on Thursday in front of a big bipartisan crowd and had control of the game before Brown’s heroics in the fourth quarter and in overtime. As the sun set and the temperature dropped, the Mallards heated up at just the right time and snatched the late victory over the Seahawks.
Emotions were high as both teams took the field, but the Seahawks and Mallards settled down in a well-play-ed, low-scoring game. Worcester’s Alec Dembeck got the Mallards on the board first with a goal at the 9:22 mark in the first quarter.
Decatur’s Dom Klebe then countered with a hard shot from the top of the box to tie the game at 1-1 with 2:13 remaining, which is how the first quarter ended.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Decatur’s Parker Wheeler scored to put the Seahawks ahead, 2-1. Brown scored for Worcester with 9:52 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 2-2.
With seven minutes left in the second, Decatur’s Kevin Beck scored to put the Seahawks ahead again, 3-2. Worcester’s Dakin Moore tied the game at 3-3 with just under five minutes remaining and the two teams went into the half tied at 3-3.
With the sun setting and the temperature dropping, most of the big crowd retreated to their vehicles for more layers for what would promise to be a dramatic second half.
In the third quarter, the game intensified with both teams picking up penalties in what was becoming a decidedly chippy contest between the familiar rivals.
Worcester’s Tucker Brown, pictured above, scored the game-tying goal and the winner in overtime against the Seahawks last week. Photo by Shawn Soper
The third quarter was scoreless for a long time as both keepers made save after save as the tension mount-ed. Decatur’s Colin Eichelberger scor-ed an extra-man goal with 1:21 left in the third to put the Seahawks ahead, 4-3.
Then, with 19 seconds left, Eichelberger scored again to extend the lead to 5-3 as the third quarter expired.
Every possession and every faceoff became critical in the fourth as the two teams continued to battle. Decatur had contained Brown to a large degree throughout the contest, but the big crowd sensed Worcester’s prolific scorer was going to have a say in the outcome as the clock ticked down.
With six minutes remaining, Brown found teammate Sam Cantello open on the crease with a great assist and Cantello converted to cut the Decatur lead to 5-4.
Decatur controlled the ball with time ticking down and it remained to be seen if the Seahawks could run out the clock and hold on.
With just under two minutes remaining, Brown fired a top-shelf laser just under the crossbar to tie the game at 5-5.
Both teams had opportunities in the last minutes, but the clock ran out and the game was heading to overtime.
With just under two minutes left in the overtime period, Brown fired home an extra-man goal for the sudden-death win, touching off a wild celebration for the Mallards.
The jubilant Brown tossed his stick in the air as he was mobbed by his teammates while the sullen Seahawks looked on.
