LADUE – Senior Willy Carpenter is the elder statesman on an MICDS offensive unit teeming with freshmen and sophomores.
And with the Rams trailing SLUH to begin the fourth quarter on Tuesday, Carpenter decided to take the offense under his wing.
“Having the competitive gene that I do, there comes a moment where, in my mind, I’m thinking, ‘I have to win this game,’” Carpenter said.
Carpenter scored two of his three goals in the decisive final frame and helped MICDS earn a 10-7 over SLUH in a hard-fought battle between the top two teams in the Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association rankings at Ron Holtman Stadium.
MICDS (11-4), which received four goals from sophomore Ian Spakowski, defeated SLUH for the 17th consecutive time, including six playoff meetings. The Rams last loss to SLUH came in the 2012 MSLA state title game by a 7-6 score.
“It’s been a long road for our program in terms of being competitive with (MICDS), going back to 2012,” SLUH coach Andrew Toussaint said. “I feel like we got better as a team today.”
SLUH (10-5) competed all over the field, from the faceoff ‘X’ where Daniel Senobry earned possession, to the offensive zone, where SLUH attackers absorbed the physicality of MICDS to produce scoring chances.
Will Feise, Brendan Kelly and Vince Chappuis each scored twice for SLUH, which had a lead at the end of the first, second and third quarters.
“Offensively, we were coming in wondering if we could handle their pressure,” Toussaint said. “We were patient on offense, and even through the fourth quarter, we were generating high-quality shots with not a lot of turnovers.”
Outstanding defense, led by seniors Henry Unger and Marco Sansone, stellar goaltending by sophomore Sam Dorsey, and a late third-quarter goal by senior Vince Chappuis helped the Jr. Bills grab a 7-6 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
That is when Carpenter became the closer.
He made a slick dodge, sprinted down the alley and unleashed a fastball to tie the game 41 seconds into the fourth. After freshman Justin Bishop pocketed a bouncing shot 52 seconds later, Carpenter emerged from behind the net and rocketed in the insurance goal for a 9-7 advantage with 2:44 remaining.
“It started last year, when Coach (Andy) Kay told me, ‘When things are tight, you’re our guy. You can handle these situations. We need you to operate,’” said Carpenter, a Washington and Lee commit.
He added, “When my team needs a spark, I will do that.”
The combination of goalie Tommy Cook and Spakowski, a midfielder, provided the spark for MICDS in the third quarter.
With MICDS trailing 5-4, Cook made an excellent save on a high-bouncing shot from SLUH senior Sean Boyd and another splendid stop on Feise during a man-down situation.
The readiness of Cook to start the third quarter may have derived from his halftime ritual. While both teams were in their respective locker rooms, Cook emerged with a pair of coaches, stood in between the pipes and absorbed shot after shot.
“It helps me re-center,” Cook said.
After Chappuis scored to give the Jr. Bills a two-goal advantage, Cook stymied Feise with a stellar right leg save, then shut the door on senior Tim Browdy twice from close range, allowing MICDS to remain within striking distance.
Spakowski made up the deficit in a 44-second span. First, he ran left and fired a left-handed bouncer that avoided Dorsey. Then, he ran right and whipped a shot into the upper corner to tie the game, 6-6.
“Differentiating where I go is crucial. Teams will sit on my left, so I have to switch it up and go to my right,” Spakowski said. “I’ve been trying to work on off-ball movement and getting to my right hand. That variation has helped my game a lot.”
Despite the late-game heroics of Spakowski, Cook and Carpenter, SLUH did not go away quietly, earning a glorious chance to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter during a two-man advantage situation.
Three SLUH attempts to find the top corner of the net sailed wide, including a 10-yard step down shot that Jr. Bills’ leading point-producer Josh Bertram sent high.
“That was scary for sure,” Cook said.
Carpenter drained his insurance goal shortly thereafter and Spakowski converted into an empty net in the final 25 seconds to clinch victory for the Rams.
MICDS, winners of eight consecutive MSLA state titles from 2014-22, has reestablished itself as the team to beat as the 2024 postseason approaches.
On Tuesday, SLUH showed that the blue helmets and jerseys in the Rams’ rearview mirror may be closer than they once appeared.
“There’s a mental component with teenagers around teams and your history, and (this performance) is something we have to protect and say, ‘We can compete,” Toussaint said.
Photos at https://benvessa.smugmug.com/2024-Boys-Lacrosse/SLUH-vs-MICDS-04-30-2024