A regular-season boys lacrosse game between two top-five teams in the state duking it out for first place in their conference is a recipe for excitement.
Waunakee and Middleton certainly did not disappoint Tuesday night as the No. 3 Cardinals outlasted the No. 5 Warriors, 10-8, in an instant classic at Warrior Stadium.
“It’s always better to beat a rival team in a close game like this when both teams are going hard,” Middleton senior attacker Ayden Henderson said. “And it’s really good to come out on top.”
With the victory, Middleton (6-1, 5-0 Badgerland Conference) now has sole possession of first place in the conference.
Those who came out to Warrior Stadium were treated to a tightly contested matchup that saw three ties and three lead changes.
“It was a well-fought game,” Middleton coach Sanford Erdahl said. “(Waunakee coach) Mike (Reiter) did a heck of a job coaching them up, and it was really fun. I’m really proud of the boys.”
Waunakee (5-3, 3-1) fell behind, 4-1, at 9 minutes, 44 seconds, in the second quarter when Middleton senior attacker Kevin Grelle scored his first of three goals in the game. He followed up a score by Henderson, who dropped his first of three goals just 38 seconds earlier.
But the Warriors rallied to tie the game at 5 when sophomore attacker Clayton Cerett scored his third goal of the second quarter with 3:26 left in the first half. The squads took a 6-6 tie into halftime, as well.
“We have a younger team, and I think once they get an idea that they can do certain things, then their confidence starts to kick in,” Reiter said. “We got a couple goals to keep it close, then we were able to take advantage of some opportunities.”
The Warriors took their first lead of the game in the third quarter, converting on a two-man-up situation before sophomore middie John Kittoe gave Waunakee am 8-6 advantage at the 6:12 mark.
The Cardinals tied the game once again with a man-down goal from sophomore middie Michael Gustafson and the third of the game from Grelle.
In an otherwise even game, the fourth quarter belonged to Middleton. The Cardinals kept the ball away from Waunakee for a majority of the period, and Henderson’s third goal of the game at 11:04 proved to be the difference. Senior goaltender Reed Kochan held off a flurry of shots from the Warriors to close out the victory.
“Reed is, in my opinion, one of the best goaltenders in the state,” Erdahl said. “He keeps his head in the game, and he played a hell of a game.”
Middleton has a pair of nonconference games against Stoughton and Arrowhead to close out this week. Waunakee heads to Madison La Follette Thursday night before competing in the Midwest Lacrosse Championships over the weekend in Milwaukee.
Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.
