By David Fierro
There were positive moments for Greenwich High School’s boys lacrosse team during the first half of its CIAC Class LL Tournament quarterfinal-round game against New Canaan on June 1st. Yet the second half belonged to the Rams, who turned up their level of play and turned back the Cardinals in a big way.
Sixth-seeded Greenwich’s 2024 season came to an end with a 13-3 loss to third-seeded host New Canaan in the Class LL quarterfinals. The Cardinals trailed the Rams, 3-1, after the opening quarter, were down, 4-2, midway through the second quarter and were behind, 6-2 at halftime.
Once the second half commenced, New Canaan steadily added on to its lead.
Senior Doster Crowell recorded four goals and four assists to help power the Rams past the Cardinals in this quarterfinal-round matchup. The Rams also received a hat trick from senior Max Lowe, a pair of goals from senior Colin Finnigan and goals from juniors Henry Hladick and William Hayes.
“We talked about ball possession so much after last week (FCIAC Tournament loss) and I thought we did a good job of that tonight,” New Canaan coach Chip Buzzeo said. “We possessed the ball and moved the ball on offense and it was a great team effort. We played a lot of guys today with the amount of guys we have we can wear people down.”
Doster Crowell scored the game’s first goal with 10:12 remaining in the opening quarter. A pair of goals from Lowe late in the first quarter, made it 3-0, then Flinn tallied for Greenwich, making it a two-goal game at the two-minute mark of the opening quarter.
Finnigan went top shelf with his perimeter shot and capitalizing on a Cardinals’ turnover, Crowell tallied in transition putting the Rams ahead, 6-2, with only 3.9 seconds left in the second quarter.
“That play happens, it erased a mistake – you make a play like that it puts a dagger in the other team,” Buzzeo said. “Guys were making plays and that’s what you want in the playoffs.”
In the second half, Greenwich was shut out, as New Canaan clamped down on defense and received solid saves from freshman goalie Jackson Crowell.
New Canaan outscored Greenwich, 5-0, in the third quarter to open an 11-2 advantage. Buzzeo discussed his squad’s stellar defensive play.
“It’s something we’ve done for the majority of the year,” Buzzeo said of the defensive effort. “Overall, our defense is the strength of our team. They give our offense a lot of opportunities and our offense capitalized on those opportunities today. I was happy on both ends of the field. That third quarter separated us and gave us that big lead.”
In the CIAC Class LL semifinals, New Canaan (16-5) was defeated by second-seeded rival Darien, 9-7, at Greenwich High School.
