On the same day its baseball team knocked off top-seeded St. Albans to win a share of the IAC banner, Landon lacrosse came from five goals down to beat rival Georgetown Prep and split the 2010 banner with the Hoyas. It was a good day for the Landon program, which continues to go through a trying time.
Down 5-0 with less than eight minutes to play in the second quarter, senior Harrison Archer finally put Landon on the scoreboard with a shot past Prep’ goalie Ford Martin. He scored again later in the period and senior James Sloan put one in the back of the net to make the score 5-3 and give the Bears momentum going into half.
Landon scored three more goals in the third period before Prep finally ended the run. After Liam Giblin tied the score for the Little Hoyas, senior captain Austin Dodson took a pass from Sloan and beat Martin to put the Bears ahead for good.
For Landon, it was an incredible comeback in which the offense found its stride, goalie Will Joyce came through with clutch save after clutch save and the team showed great resiliency,
It was an emotional day for the Bears as the community continues to grieve over the tragedy at the University of Virginia, where Landon graduate and former lacrosse star George Huguely is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Yeardley Love.
After the game, Neil Phillips, head of the upper school at Landon, issued a statement.
“It’s been a very difficult time for our coaches, players, everyone, and so for these guys, I’m very happy for them… This is a lacrosse team that means a whole lot to both communities, but in addition to that, we are all still grieving. This has been a real, real difficult stretch, and the fact that we have won a lacrosse game helps for the moment, but we’re going to be immersed in some sadness for a while.”
