Boys lacrosse: Miano's dramatic goal lifts Lourdes in comeback against Goshen

A dreary afternoon began inauspiciously, with coach Chris Malet forgetting his scorebook and there being a minor mixup about uniforms. The five-goal deficit that followed could’ve been taken as an indication the earlier hiccups were a bad omen.

“We were making mistakes, but there wasn't the impression that we were panicked,” Malet said of his boys lacrosse team on Friday. “It didn’t feel like a certain loss, and I thought we just needed to get it going.”

But each time Our Lady of Lourdes began to rally, Goshen rebuilt its lead, eventually taking that five-goal advantage to the fourth quarter. That’s when something clicked.

“The first three quarters, guys were annoyed and chirping at each other a little,” the coach said. “The fourth quarter, we were lifting each other up.”

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It began with a brief sideline pep talk from senior Matthew Krauza, their emotional leader, and two quick fourth-quarter goals infused some optimism and livened them up.

By the time Nick Miano scored with 8.6 seconds remaining, the bad day and the slow start had long been forgotten and there was such jubilation that Malet reminded the giddy group that time hadn’t expired.

The ensuing faceoff was a formality and, after Krauza gained possession, the celebration resumed. The Warriors had just completed their comeback, surging late for a dramatic 16-15 win over Goshen.

“We've been learning how to win throughout the season,” said Malet, whose team is adjusting in its first year in Section 9. “To come back from down five goals twice is a big step in our progress. It was big for the kids, and important for them to believe in themselves.”

Connor Wilson, Patrick Faughnan and Colin Irwin anchored a defense that clamped down in the fourth, enabling Lourdes to catch up. Drew Cornax's sixth goal tied it at 15 with 58 seconds left.

The Warriors gained possession near midfield in the final seconds and Krauza found Alex Crysler up the right flank. As the defense swarmed, he slipped a pass to Miano to the left of the cage. The junior then faked low and fired high, scoring on goalkeeper Torin Breheny.

The players went “bonkers” after that sequence, having upset a team that reached the Section 9 Class C semifinals last season.

Crysler had four goals and two assists, and Krauza had a goal and four assists to lead Lourdes (5-5). Miano scored three goals, and Graham Heitman and Kenny Luttman each had a goal and two assists. Atticus Englinski made 10 saves.

Mario Alfieri had three goals and nine assists for Goshen (6-5). Breheny had 20 saves, several of which were spectacular.

The impetus in Lourdes leaving Section 1 was in seeking competition from comparably sized schools and programs at similar stages in their development. With that, there was confidence the Warriors would be competitive in each game this season.

Cornax has starred offensively since the ninth grade, but the Marist commit has worked diligently to become “a complete midfielder,” Malet said. And, with an unselfish and instinctive offense, Lourdes is averaging 14.4 goals per game and already has surpassed last season’s win total.

Malet, who started this program in 2011, set a goal for his team that now will require a down-the-stretch hot streak to fulfill.

“We've only reached 10 wins once, so we’ve made it a challenge to get at least that many,” said Malet, whose team has six regular-season games remaining. “We're playing for a chance to win a section title, but we'd love to get 10 wins along the way.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Boys lacrosse: Miano scores in final seconds as Lourdes stuns Goshen