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Solon Lacrosse Rallies To Knock Off Hudson in 2 OT Thriller

Comet Michael Perrino scores game-winner to end Explorer's run

Solon senior Michael Perrino had to wait three years and two overtimes, but he finally got the measure of the Hudson boys’ lacrosse team.

Reeling in a pass from fellow senior Matt DiCarro, Perrino splashed home the game-winner at 3:46 of the second overtime to defeat Hudson, 13-12, and cap an improbable rally to beat the Explorers for the first time in his high school career Thursday night at Solon High School.

Down a goal with 24 seconds remaining in regulation, DiCarro flipped a pass to Sam Littman who scored at point-blank range to tie the game after the Comets were down, 12-8, with a little over six minutes remaining in the game.

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The Comets (4-2) knocked the rival Explorers (8-1) off their undefeated perch after scoring the game’s final five goals.

Perrino, Drew Barksdale and Sean Smith each had three goals, while DiCarro had a goal and four assists and Littman had two goals and an assist for the Comets. Goalie Keith LePorte had 10 saves for Solon.

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Patrick O’Loughlin had three goals and two assists, Andrew Circelli and Rob Lynott had three goals each and Stephen Jones had two goals and an assist for Hudson. Goalie Tyler Zickel had 22 saves for the Explorers.

Bitter cold temperatures in the late evening couldn’t blunt the passionate screams and shouts of delight from the Comets who celebrated and danced giddily as if they had just won a championship.

None was louder than Perrino.

And why not?  Thursday was a night of many firsts for him.

“It’s the first game-winner I’ve ever made,” Perrino said. “It’s incredible, especially since it’s against Hudson. To win it like this is incredible for a senior, especially after losing to them three years in a row.”

For Solon coach Hans Rydquist, Thursday night was especially meaningful as he sees the Explorers as more than just a perennial powerhouse in lacrosse.

“I graduated from Hudson High School (2000), so this means everything to me. I played for the man I coached against (coach David Blue), so that feels great. … This was a group they’ve wanted to beat since early on. This was the team they looked at when we moved up to Division I and said, ‘we want to be like them and beat them.’ “

The Explorers built four-goal leads three times in the second half, the last coming after Jones fed O’Loughlin for a score and a 12-8 lead at 6:07 of the fourth quarter.

But Solon didn’t wilt as DiCarro fed junior Tres Barksdale for a score and Littman gathered in a rebound off a Tres Barksdale shot to draw to 12-10 at 4:37.

Tres Barksdale assisted Perrino for his second goal of the fourth quarter and set up the final nervous moments as Littman tied the game to send it into overtime.

After both teams had near misses in the first overtime, Perrino split the Explorers’ defense for the final score in the second overtime.

“We told our kids this was going to be a four-quarter fight and they were going to have to dig in all the way through and that no lead was going to be safe,” Blue said.

Although the Comets rallied late to win the game, they actually seemed intent on blowing out the Explores early. Drew Barksdale’s two unassisted goals helped Solon take a 4-1 lead after the first quarter.

But the Explorers answered with five straight goals to lead, 6-4, with 1:51 remaining in the first half. After Sean Smith netted a pass from Drew Barksdale, Lynott and O’Loughlin each scored unassisted goals to give the Explorers an 8-5 lead at halftime.

Solon next hosts Shaker Heights on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

GAME STATISTICS

Number Player Groundballs Goals Assists Saves 1 Matt Dicarro 2 1 3 3 Sam Littman 2 2 1 4 Mike Lash 1 6 Alex Heffernan 10 8 Dres Barksdale 7 3 9 Sean Smith 2 10 Mike Perrino 3 3 11 Cody Marcantonio 4 13 Aaron Piscitello 7 14 Brian Gerstenslager 3 18 Terry Tsivitste 4 1 22 Tres Barksdale 2 24 Keith LePort 3 14

Stats supplied by Solon Lacrosse

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