When Mark Monroe evened the game with just about a minute left to go, everything was going Woodberry Forest’s way. With the score, the Tigers completed a rally from an early five-goal deficit to tie Paul VI.
But all that work unraveled with a single crafty move during a ride in the final minute by Paul VI’s Connor Murphy and a timely poke check from a teammate.
“I remember the goalie and that far defenseman talking and he was telling the guy who had the ball originally to go all the way across so I just tried to split them,” Murphy said. “I think it was Logan Aunon or Kyle Koehler but they checked the guy’s stick and it came right to me.”
Murphy, a second team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference attackman, turned the interception into a point-blank goal and a 12-11 victory, sending the No. 5-ranked Panthers on to the VISAA Division I semifinals and abruptly ending Woodberry’s season.
The Tigers struggled most of the game to push past Paul VI keeper Zachary Tuell, who finished with around 20 saves on the afternoon. Woodberry finally found an offensive groove late, with Carlson Milikin and Monroe scoring back-to-back in the final two minutes and five seconds on unassisted strikes. Woodberry managed to force a couple of turnovers in the closing minutes but struggled to clear. The final mistake on a clear led to Murphy’s goal.
Still, the rally was an incredible one as Woodberry had to hang around and stay engage with Paul VI for the majority of the game while trailing in order to take advantage of the late opportunities.
“You start out a game 6-1, come back and battle and get it done to 11-11 with under a minute left — that 36 minutes of lacrosse says a lot about these young guys character and what type of people they are,” said Woodberry coach Brian Hemming.
Milikin put together perhaps his most brilliant performance of the year, and certainly one of the most efficient. The junior led the Tigers with four goals and three assists while taking just 10 shots. He was also a force on the defensive end with 12 ground balls and three forced turnovers.
Woodberry’s offense, which has made strides all season, benefited from Milikin’s inspired play, and moved the ball effectively in the offensive zone. Eight of the 11 Woodberry goals were assisted. Mark Monroe had a pair of assists to go with his two goals while Joe Miller triggered the offense all day with three assists.
David Little’s hat trick as well as Will Tucker and Dow Perkins’ single goals, rounded out the scoring for the Tigers. Charlie Archer forced six turnovers on the day on the defensive end while Adam Silva won 14 of 24 faceoffs to give Woodberry a slight possession advantage.
Tyler Aunon led the Paul VI offense with three goals as the imposing Georgetown-bound senior took advantage of the few opportunities that Woodberry allowed. His work when Pail VI was trying to melt the clock was particularly impressive as he ate up nearly 30 seconds while sprinting around the box on his own.
Woodberry wrapped an 11-6 season as the program continued its upward trajectory under head coach Brian Hemming. The team went from 6-8 to 8-8 to 11-6 the last three years, a steady increase in wins against an always challenging schedule. “I couldn’t be more proud of a group of guys than the guys we have here,” Hemming said.
