The Stars were passing beautifully, creating opportunities through movement and spontaneity, and playing tight, aggressive defense. The strength of the team was in the consistency and depth of face-off takers. Each of the three lines had a face-off specialist who made sure the Stars shined brightly in the time-of-possession category.
The team went 1-2 during pool day, but with an impressive “goals against” and overall goal differential, they locked-up the three seed and a date with the Twisters: the bracket’s top-seeded team.
“We ended the day with such confidence,” said Picard. “Our expectations and goals were probably very different from most teams there that weekend. We wanted to first and
foremost have fun. And we wanted to get better together from game-to-game. And after day 1, we managed to accomplish both in a big, big way.”
On a much cooler Sunday, the team met early in a common area used for open warm-ups and practice. They got some team photos taken early and out-of-the-way, ran a few line drills, and rested up before a big match against a team that plays together for sixth months a year (including the spring).
The game began in an unusual way, with the officials starting before the universal horn went off. The Twisters (who went 3-0 on the first day of pool play) scored a goal in less than 30 seconds. While lined-up for the second face-off of the game, the horn sounded and the officials made a joke about the first goal not counting. This led to some confusion about what the score actually was which lasted throughout the first-half.
The Twisters held a commanding lead, scoring five
goals. They looked polished, refreshed, and confident. On the Stars side of the field, the Mass Bay Leaguers seemed tired and generally dejected with little energy and focus.
“At halftime, we were down three goals and feeling a little sorry for ourselves,” admitted Picard. “But we reminded them… they represent the best of our league, had no practices together as a unit, and competing against cohesive club programs. All we asked is that they played the second half as if they liked this sport and were here for love of the game.”
And it worked. The Stars woke up and began playing with ease, finesse, determination, and joy. They put a dent in the Twister’s plans for utter domination. The opposing coaches began to panic and scream at their players.
In the end, the Twisters secured their victory, 7-5, but gave a long hard look at the Stars bench, noticeably wiping the sweat from their brows. During the post-game handshake, the Twisters coaching staff took a longer hand-shake than normal to ask the rhetorical question, “Who are you guys?”
The Stars coaches just smiled and congratulated them on a good win and ticket to the semi-finals. They then gathered their young and energized team in the shade of the OMAC building which would play host to their final game of the weekend: the fifth place game against Fed Lax Militia – another Massachusetts team based out of Lincoln-Sudbury.
Picard addressed the athletes for the final time, reminding them that they all came here as free agents because they loved this sport. “There’s no doubt the future of Mass Bay is bright with athletes like you leading your towns,” he said to the players, who were surrounded by their supportive families. “We have one game left together, as a team. In the future, you’ll be playing lacrosse against each other. But you’re all
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