No. 2 Harwood stares down No. 1 Rice in D-II boys lacrosse state title match Friday

June 11, 2021  |  By Katie Martin 

Colchester's #15 Bodie Towle defends to no avail against Highlander Finn O'Hara who landed six goals in Tuesday's semifinal rout. Photo by Sarah Milligan.

About halfway through the Highlanders regular season, when asked what things his team had been doing well, varsity boys lacrosse coach Russ Beilke said, “Any time you hold a team under five goals, it is a solid win for the defense!” 

In his team’s semifinal round on Tuesday they did just that and the win would propel Harwood to its fourth Division II state championship appearance in the last five years, as there was no spring season in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The second-seeded Harwood Union boys hosted the No. 6-ranked Colchester Lakers for a high-intensity game where Harwood showed once and for all that some Highlanders aren’t afraid of  “Lake”-ness monsters.

The two teams last met on May 18 in a much closer game where Harwood finished on top by a three-goal margin, 11-8. Beilke said during that game his team expected an easy win, and after a tricky first half, it was able to put together a second half to be proud of. During that game, Beilke also gave props to his defensive squad for skillfully managing ground balls and face-off battles. 

This week, just two minutes into the first quarter of the semifinal game Harwood’s Jacob Green found the back of the net to get on the board. Colchester answered with their own goal minutes later. 

Addison Dietz in net for Harwood came up big with multiple stick saves, and many hard shot foot saves to block more attempts by the Lakers. Dietz and the defense built a brick wall against the Lakers 29 shots; he made 12 saves himself. 

Across the field, Colchester goalie Kieran Phillips made nine saves.

Harwood’s All-American athlete Finn O’ Hara carried the ball end-to-end and scored with just under three minutes left in the quarter. A minute later, he sent a shot down in the low left corner for Harwood’s third goal. 

Heading into the second quarter up 3-1, O’Hara began the scoring about four minutes in. At one point Harwood had a player on the ground as Captain Sawyer Simmons tried to maneuver between two Lakers with a spin dodge. Simmons was okay. Harwood with possession called a timeout with 1:14 left in the quarter. When play resumed, Harwood had the ball in the Lakers’ defensive zone and O’Hara found a pocket to score again with 9 seconds left in the half. The score going into the third 5-1 Harwood leading.

The weather then turned from muggy to light rain, making the grassy field a potential slip-and -slide for players who were not cautious with their footing.

Green for the Highlanders started off the quarter, scoring with nine minutes to go. Jordan Grimaldi sunk one into the lower left side of the net for Highlanders next and quickly followed with another successful shot in the same minute. O’Hara then returned and notched another one in off a pass from a teammate. With just 37 seconds left in the third quarter, Jonathan O’Brien scored from a pass, widening the Highlanders’ lead to 10-1.

The fourth quarter saw more body contact between the teams, as Simmons went down again. O’Hara scored and was followed by Grimaldi off a pass by Green. 

In an amazing play, O’Hara slid on one leg – a move comparable to the Ukranainan Hopak folk dance – to catch a pass on the 25 yard line and keep the ball in Harwood’s possession within the Lakers’ defensive zone. O’Brien then capped the game with the Highlanders’ 13th and final goal sealing Harwood’s spot in Friday afternoon’s state championship match against first-place and undefeated Rice Memorial (12-0).

In total, Harwood’s Jordan Grimaldi ended the game with a hattrick, three goals; Jake Green and Jonathan O’ Brien tallied two goals apiece; Finn O’ Hara scored six.

Rice was one of just two teams to beat Harwood during the regular season. The Lakers outpaced the Highlanders 14-11 in their May 25 game. 

Friday’s game time is 6 p.m. at South Burlington High School. Tickets: $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Purchase tickets at the gate or in advance online here. 

Harwood's #14 Hayden Adams and #13 Brian Bechtel work together to shut down the Colchester Lakers in Tuesday's D-II semifinal. Photo by Sarah Milligan.