The Yorktown Patriots made a strong bid to repeat as the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 boys lacrosse champions this season by advancing to the semifinals of the state tournament and suffering a close loss.
But Yorktown was defeated by the visiting Madison Warhawks, 10-7, in that June 8 tournament semifinal, ending the Patriots’ campaign with a 17-4 record and snapping the team’s 10-match winning streak.
Yorktown was 1-1 in the state tourney, downing the Lake Braddock Bruins, 14-7, in the first round.
Prior to the state competition, Yorktown won the Liberty District and 6D North region tournaments. The Patriots defeated Madison in the region final, as well as once during the regular season.
“It’s real hard to beat a good team three times in a season,” Yorktown coach Greg Beer said. “Madison was very motivated and we had a hard time at times matching their intensity.”
In the Patriots’ earlier region-final win over Madison, Yorktown built a 5-0 lead and controlled a faster tempo of play throughout the match. That wasn’t the case in the state semifinal, when Madison controlled a slower tempo most of the way.
Madison took a 1-0 lead and the score was tied at 4 at halftime. Yorktown had leads in the match, but never more than one goal.
Yorktown’s last lead was 5-4 in the third period. Then, Madison answered with four straight goals to move in front for good at 8-5. The Patriots rallied to within 8-7, were whistled for a 1-minute penalty with 2:23 to play and didn’t score again.
Garrett Wing and Hudson Greene each scored two goals for Yorktown, with Jack Martinez, Liam Anderson and Patrick Ferguson having one each. Connor Kaetzel had two assists, and Greene and Ferguson one each.
Yorktown goalie Hayden Whittington made a number of big saves to keep the Patriots close.
Against Lake Braddock, Yorktown built a 5-0 lead. Lake Braddock rallied to tie the game at 5, then the Patriots pulled back ahead for good.
Green had five goals and seven assists in the win. Kaetzel added two goals and two assists, and Wing scored twice.
Martinez, Jacob Williams, Will Hock, Ryan Boehk and Owen Fang had goals. Hock had one assist.
Whittington made 15 saves.
“We had a good season and won the district and region tournaments for a second time each, and we hadn’t done that before,” Beer said.
NOTES: The state semifinal match was between the past two state champions, with Madison having won in 2019. There was no tournament in 2020 because of the pandemic . . . Over the past two seasons, Yorktown compiled a 33-4 overall record, won two district and region tournament titles, one state crown and reached the semifinals of this season’s state tourney. It’s the best two-season stretch in the history of the program.