Green Hornets Cruise Past Arden in Midget AA County Championship, 14-8

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By Colin A.J. Murphy

Competing against Arden in the Anne Arundel County championship game at Severna Park High School on June 3, the Midget AA Green Hornets boys’ lacrosse team polished off an outstanding season, riding a nine-goal first half and playing solid defense throughout the game to defeat the Diamondbacks for the third time this season, 14-8. The championship victory gave the Green Hornets a shining 13-1 overall record this spring and was the culmination of the team’s season-long goal of winning a title.

“We were impressed by the team’s commitment to be the top team in the county,” said Green Hornets Coach Dave Sherwood of his group’s championship season. “When the coaches asked the team to set goals for the season, the very first response was to go and win the Anne Arundel County Midget AA championship.”

The Green Hornets reached their goal by completing the very difficult task of beating a good team three times in one season. The Diamondbacks came into the game hungry for a shot at redemption, but Severna Park’s superior all-around play in the earlygoing put an immediate damper on any hopes of an Arden upset. Stingy defense, tireless pursuit of ground balls, and swift clears by defenders Michael Bangert, Cullen Joyce, Reed Schaller, Noah Hensley and Max Ericson and midfielders Cian Chung, Dom Cipriano, Michael Zichelli and Alex Ulrich helped the Hornets dominate possession throughout the first two quarters. Michael Lamon, Luke Legnard, Andrew Volk and Max Sherwood all notched goals in the first half, and the Green Hornets took a commanding 9-3 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Severna Park slowed the pace of the game and held off a reorganized Arden game plan. The Diamondbacks had better success on defense in the third and fourth quarters, allowing only five second-half goals, but the unwavering patience and precise stick work of Steven Zichelli, Trent Kirchenheiter and Jack Thomas allowed the Green Hornets to run time off the clock while working for the best shot. When Arden did manage to get looks at goal, repeated point-blank stops by Green Hornets goalkeeper Patrick Byrne kept the Diamondbacks frustrated.

Dominant play by Severna Park in the battle for ground balls and possession was simply too much for Arden to overcome, and the Green Hornets kept the game out of reach the whole way, wrapping up the 14-8 victory and the county championship. Coaches Sherwood, Bob Zichelli, Pat Lamon, Jay Kozireski and Paul Joyce were proud to see each member of the team contribute in whatever way was most needed.

“It is very important to know that this was a complete team effort,” said Sherwood. “We kept 17 boys this year, and every one of them had a role on the team. Some scorers, some ground ball guys, some defenders, but every one of them contributed to the team winning the championship. Every player should be very proud of this accomplishment.”

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