With just a handful of seniors on the roster — albeit several good ones including captains Mark Bernardino and Eric Reigel — Albemarle could have been overwhelmed by Wednesday’s atmosphere at the VHSL state lacrosse semifinals. They could’ve let highly-touted Chantilly exert control from the start on a field just minutes from their own campus.
The young Patriots did nothing of the sort.
Albemarle took a one-goal halftime lead and gave the Chargers all they could handle, falling short in the second half as Chantilly pulled away to an 11-7 victory and a berth in the state final Saturday night.
“We were right there I think this game could’ve gone either way,” said Albemarle coach Pat McAdams. “They got the momentum in the second half (and) they made it very difficult for us to get shots off.”
Chantilly found a solid offensive groove right out of the gate in the second half, scoring five straight goals, with Luke Bowers pouring in three of his four total goals during the run. Bowers also had a first half assist. Albemarle managed to hold Bowers and the rest of the Chantilly offense in check with a hard-nosed first half. But with Daniel DeCenzo finding his stride and triggering the offense, Chantilly pieced together the decisive run in the third.
“They pushed out but we expected that,” Bowers said. “But we didn’t play with the intensity we needed to in the first half.”
They found it in the third, and then in the fourth, the Chargers managed to melt down the clock in an effort to limit the Patriots’ possessions. It was a wise move considering that Albemarle clawed back into the game with two quick goals in the final one minute and two seconds of the third quarter. Ben Kyriacopoulos hit the first of those two scores on a man-up goal from Bernardino, then Nick Pegg buried a shot with 29.6 seconds to play in the quarter that cut the lead to two.
Unfortunately for Albemarle it was the last goal the Patriots managed to connect on as Chantilly slowed the game down after two early fourth quarter goals. Powers connected on his fourth on a behind the back shot and Dicenzo scored at the 9:49 mark to make it 11-7. Dicenzo finished with three goals and a pair of assists.
“I thought a little fatigue was setting in in the second half a little bit,” McAdams said. “We were subbing and trying to keep guys fresh but it’s a long four quarters when you’re playing against a team like Chantilly with the depth they have, the experience they have and the weapons they have. It’s a lot to ask.”
Bernardino was the man behind the scenes during Albemarle’s strong first half, assist on a Billy Crist goal and helping orchestrate a flawless fastbreak that gave Albemarle its first lead at 4-3. Steven Mastropaolo finished that one off. The loss marked the end of Bernardino’s high school career along with seven other seniors.
“He’s the heart and soul — he’s just pure will-to-win,” McAdams said. “He’s also a hard worker, he’s a tough kid. And he’s surrounded by a group of seniors that’s pretty much in the same vein.”
Sophomore long stick Lloyd Smith also scored during the first half on a fastbreak, tallying Albemarle’s second goal. Josh Calhoun followed with another score to even the game at 3-3. Albemarle goalie Jake Huber made several big time saves from point blank range.
Albemarle wrapped the season at 19-2 overall, finishing as the Commonwealth District champions and the Northwest Region runner-up. Chantilly faces Langley Saturday in the VHSL final.
