The matchup has produced so many dramatic finishes and unlikely outcomes over the years, the unexpected has become the norm.
So even though Georgetown Prep’s lacrosse team entered Tuesday’s home game as the clear favorite against Interstate Athletic Conference rival Landon, it had little trouble ignoring that label. Instead, a veteran Little Hoyas squad loaded with Division I talent used its depth to take control of the game and played a pressure-free second half in a convincing 10-5 victory.
“Most of us grew up with the curse that Landon always seemed to have on Prep,” said Georgetown Prep senior captain Fran Gormley, who scored two goals and added an assist. “We’ve all seen too many games where Prep had more talent or was winning in the second half and Landon always found a way to win. So there was no way there would be any overconfidence on our part.”
The Little Hoyas (12-0, 3-0 IAC) maintained their perfect record and took sole possession of first place in the conference. Landon (6-4, 2-1) returned just one starter from last year and that inexperience has showed at times against its brutal schedule during the season’s first month. The Bears have lost two games in overtime.
“We did some good things against them but we still have to execute better than we did,” said Landon senior defenseman Conor Cassidy. “Momentum is a big thing in lacrosse and we just couldn’t score that extra goal in the third quarter to get it back.”
Landon controlled the pace in the first half and went ahead, 1-0, on a goal by junior midfielder Anders Frederickson. But the Little Hoyas scored three straight to go on top for good, including a tally by Gormley with just 34 seconds left in the firsthalf. Senior attack George Huguely scored one of his two goals early in the third quarter to bring the Bears within 3-2 before Georgetown Prep responded with four of the next five goals to put the game out of reach.
The main event
» It is just the fourth time Georgetown Prep has beaten Landon. The Little Hoyas won twice in 2003 and took last year’s IAC Tournament championship with an 8-7 overtime victory.
» Eight different players scored at least one goal for Georgetown Prep, including senior attack Andrew Branciaccio, who joined teammate Fran Gormley with two goals.
» Landon leads the all-time series against the Little Hoyas, 21-4.
