Nine Straight Goals Powers Guardians Lacrosse

Senior goalie Drew Hazard made ten saves during the Guardians first round state tournament win over Fairfield Ludlowe last Wednesday.  

After falling behind 2-0 in the first quarter, Glastonbury High School’s boys lacrosse team reeled off nine straight goals during an 11-5 win over Fairfield Ludlowe in the first round of the Class L state tournament at GHS on May 31.

The Guardians scoring spurt started in the first quarter and bled over into the fourth quarter. 

Head coach Scott Hinchey said once the team’s nerves settled, his team was laser focused on the goal at hand. 

“It was about feeling these guys out,” Hinchey said of the playing the visiting out-of-conference Falcons from Fairfield, “We learned from [our mistake] and our defense got better. This is a resilient group.” 

Hinchey added, “We were very unselfish on offense today and that has been our goal. Our guys stepped up and made plays, and I thought our unselfishness was a big reason we won today.” 

Brady Stone led a balanced offensive attack with four goals and an assist. He was one of four Guardians to find the back of the net.
Luke Lavery tallied three goals and Liam Doyle scored a pair, while Parker Wallace and Braeden Saunders each scored once.

“It was a full team effort. I think we had a couple of great practices leading into [the game],” said Stone. “It was about playing team offense and sharing the ball. It’s not just one guy, it’s about the whole team being in the right spots and that is how we got it done.” 

Senior goalie Drew Hazard made ten saves, leading a defensive unit that banded together following a pair of quick strikes from the Falcons. 

“We just tried to rally and continue playing hard for the whole 48 [minutes],” Hazard said of shaking off the early struggles. “It doesn't matter the score, it’s just about playing hard and playing good defense.” 

Hinchey called Hazard the “backbone” of the team and credited him for staying calm following the early setback. 

Trailing 9-2 heading into the fourth quarter, Fairfield pulled out all the stops in an attempt to rally, using an aggressive offensive approach.

Yet Hazard stood tall and made four key saves in the fourth.

“Drew had a stellar game today; he bailed us out a couple of times,” Hinchey said of his most-seasoned goalie.

Hazard assumed a majority of the minutes late in the season after splitting time with junior Cayden Infantino throughout the season. 

Hinchey noted that both goalies have played well all season, heading a defensive unit that allowed double-digit goals only once in 16 regular season games.

The state tourney win came on the heels of a conference championship loss to Simsbury from a few days prior. 

After falling short of a second straight Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) Central title, Hinchey said the team had exceptional practices leading into the state tourney. 

“This is a mature group. They were ready to go,” added Hinchey. “Our guys were pretty locked in, they had that fire in their eye.”
Stone added, “We were hungry; we had a sour taste after last week and that fueled us.”

It turned out to be the last time that the senior players would play on their home turf. 

Following the win, the No. 7 Guardians traveled to Westport and lost to Staples, the defending Class L champs and the No. 2 ranked team in the tourney. 

Hinchey called his eight departing players a “great group of guys.”

Stone, Hazard, Wallace, Doyle, Jack Anglim, William Meigs, Jack Carducci, and Ryder Harmon all graduated Monday. 

“They are all great leaders and they love being out here competing,” added Hinchey.  “They’ve been a pleasure to coach.”
The seniors were freshmen during the Covid-19 cancellation season in 2020 and over the last three years they helped the program win a total of 34 games and a conference title. 

Stone, who will continue playing lacrosse at Endicott College, called the seniors a “tight-knit group.” 

“It starts with the bond that we all have from when we first started playing in the Rising Stars days,” added Stone. “All the boys have been playing since we were little and we’ve created that comradery.”

Hazard, who will play collegiately at Salve Regina University, agreed with Stone. 

​“It’s a great group of guys and we’re all friends. It’s been awesome to play with these guys.”