BOYS LACROSSE
By: Tim Falls
Dave Schindewolf scored the last goal of the season for the Lawrence High School varsity boys lacrosse team.
"It was huge," said the junior Cardinal. "It was definitely one of the most important goals I’ve scored."
Schindewolf scored the game-winner in sudden death in a 6-5 victory over Ewing to complete the Cardinals’ season on Monday.
Lawrence improved to 7-11 with the win.
The Cardinals started the season with eight straight losses, they were determined not to end the season with one.
"It’s a big boost for us," said Schindewolf. "We’re going to try and get 10 or 11 wins next year. We want to come back even stronger."
Leaving with a loss would have set the wrong tone.
Losing to Ewing, another newer program, would have been an especially bad loss to end the season.
In overtime, Schindewolf powered toward the net and scored the game-winner in the first minute of sudden death.
"We played sloppy," said coach Anthony Ammirata. "In the second half we battled and out scored them."
Ewing led Lawrence by mulitiple goals in the second half before the Cardinals began their rally.
The Blue Devils scored first and Lawrence tied the game, 1-1, before Ewing went ahead, 4-1.
Dave Koellner and Pete Boucher each scored twice and Matt Watson had a single tally as Lawrence managed to tie the game late in the final quarter.
Sophomore goalie James MacIntosh made 12 saves and kept Lawrence in the game while Ewing led in shots, 24-18.
"It was difficult, I struggled at first," said MacIntosh, who is in his first year playing lacrosse. "The pressure helped. The pressure of winning the last game helped me save some of those shots."
MacIntosh added that he will be back next season with more experience, and that is true for most of the Cardinal squad.
The experience will help Lawrence continue to grow.
The Cardinals went from a 1-16 team to a 7-11 team this season after a rough opening stretch.
After the game Ammirata asked his team if, at the start of the season, they would have taken seven wins. The Cardinals agreed seven wins was a pretty good improvement.
"We won seven," said Ammirata. "I think we could have won 10. We let three get away from us."
Ammirata said he felt his team won most of games they should have won, but will need to work harder to collect a few upsets next season.
"I don’t think we won any we shouldn’t have," said Ammirata. "They have to do their part in the off season to keep it going."
While the season may be over and Ammirata is collecting equipment, the team knows it has to stay active, keep working on stick skills, stay in shape and even attend clinics to advance to the next level of play.
"It’s the discipline and the structure," said Shindewolf. "Good coaching and everybody’s dedication have helped a lot. 7-11 shows how hard we worked. Next year we’ll come back with even more fire."

