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STATESMEN SCOREBOARD    VARSITY, FRI 3/24 HAYFIELD 11   MARSHALL  7      JV, FRI 3/24 MARSHALL  7   HAYFIELD  5

Hayfield High School, 3/24/06 --
HAYFIELD RESULTS MIXED, BUT JV GOES TO 3-0!

Ball control made a huge difference in the Hayfield win!

The Marshall Varsity fell to the host Hayfield Hawks tonight, but the JV squad is off to a fantastic season start after an exciting comeback win. Down 1-3, the Statesman rallied past the Hawks and finished the game with a 7-5 win.

JV Game - Two goals each by Sam Mencarini and JP Baker were complemented with goals by Steven Armstrong, Buddy Stolze and Carlos Arandia. Mencarini, Armstrong and Steven White directed an unrelenting offensive attack leading to monopolization of the game in the second half.

The defense was aggressive with solid goal protection and "flashes" of offensive flair led by Chris Newcomb, Taylor Delean, Roman Polyakov and Peter Embree. First year goalie Craig Murphy stood strong in goal and displayed outstanding composure and solid protection of the goal. All in all, it was a great game and great fun to watch! Both teams worked hard, hit hard and played hard. :-)

The JV team is off to its best start in many years (3-0) and has already matched its total number of wins in 2005.

Varsity Game - The Varsity offense got on track against the Hawks - Pat Findaro and Jake Oster both put up hat-tricks, and Aria Kavyani scored a goal as well. But the #8 team in the Northern Region played a strong game out there, and eventually the Hawks came out ahead in this offensive showpiece. The final score was Hayfield 11, Marshall 7.

Update: LAXPower says Hayfield was supposed to beat us by NINE GOALS. ... I don't think we put much stock in Supposed To. :-)

On Saturday, the Statesmen Varsity are on the road again - traveling to the exact same Hayfield stadium - for a tournament game aginst Edison. B there, everyone. Marshall Pride! Go Statesmen!

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JV GAME: MARSHALL 7 - HAYFIELD 5
These are pictures from the JV game. Pictures from the Varsity game are on the Varsity Pix page!

Welcome to lacrosse night at Hayfield High! Our Statesmen JV is off to a great start, winning our first two games of the season. Can we grab a win over Hayfield? The energy is up, the fans are pumped and we dig for the opening face-off! Go Statesmen!

We run the offense, but the close-checking Hawks are all over us from the start!

The close-checking continues on our side of the field as well and the heavily-favored Hawks break out to a 3-1 lead.

But what might be discouraging to others is actually inspiring to this band of Small School Big Hearts! Marshall Pride kicks in and we bear down even harder!

It begins with a defensive flurry, and THAT turns into turnovers

And then the long, steady comeback begins.

On offense we settle down, keep possession, work for shots and spread the ball. No fewer than FIVE different Statesmen scored in the seven-goal output tonight!

Sam Mencarini and JP Baker each scored twice in this comback bid, with Steven Armstrong, Buddy Stolze and Carlos Arandia each adding goals of their own!

Steven White, Steven Armstrong and Sam were leaders in pressing a relentless attack ...

... But to stage a comeback like this, we really needed some offensive punch from our defense as well.

Fastest Sport on Two Feet! Taylor Delean, Peter Embree, Chris Newcomb and Roman Polyakov gave us a bunch of that critical offense-from-defense!

Craig Murphy stands tall in goal ...

... and calmly works the clears!

Three faces of Chris Newcomb! Close-checking on defense ...

... Crisp on the clear ...

... and running the ball out when he has to!

Goal after goal, we keep pressing the attack!

Nice save ... but the key is that we're getting the shots on goal! We keep creating quality chances, and we tie it up!

Ball control, possession and the relentless quality shot-taking pays off! Statesmen pull ahead for a slim one-goal in the fourth!

Defenseman Chris Newcomb breaks into the offensive end for a critical transition ...

With a one-goal lead, Sam Mencarini keeps pressing the attack. He sets up for an outside shot and scores his second goal of the night!

Man oh man! Now THAT's a sweet scoreboard. Marshall takes a two goal lead with more than five minutes left on the clock. Can we hold off against the last-minute press?

At this point in the game, it's all about possession. Every loose ball we can pick up takes us another step closer to the win!

Craig Murphy stands his ground during the final assault and the final score is Marshall 7, Hayfield 5! Three and oh! Marshall Pride!

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Your moment of Statesmen Zen tonight is about pressing the attack ... taking shots, crowding the crease, hustling to keep possession ... it all adds up in a pretty nice LAX equation!