They are not cross-town rivals. They play in different conferences. And they haven't seen each other in years.
Still, Norwich Free Academy men's lacrosse coach Mike Murphy hopes to make NFA vs. Norwich Tech an annual event in the Rose City.
“I thought it would be a good game to start,” Murphy said. “I like it because it's a Norwich-esque tournament. A lot of these kids know each other through youth lacrosse and all the other things they've played together. I think it's good on a community level. We do it every year. I’m looking forward to it.”
On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, the Wildcats overcame a slow start to defeat the Warriors 14-3 at NFA Turf Field.
Despite the loss, Norwich Tech head coach Mark Farnsworth was pleased with the short trip from Mahan Drive to Broadway.
“It was a great game and a great thing,” Farnsworth said. “It's really great to see the kids talking to each other. Many of them play together in youth leagues or live near each other.”
more:Spring Notes: Norwich Free Academy Baseball Improves to 2-0
NFA (3-1), coming off an 11-7 loss to Stonington, took a 5-1 lead behind four goals from senior Logan Jenkins.
But the Warriors (1-3) responded with a goal by sophomore Anthony Kessie with just 30 seconds left in the first quarter.
Norwich Tech senior Landon Traylor scored his second goal early in the second quarter, giving the Warriors a narrow 5-3 lead.
“It was a competitive game,” Farnsworth said. “We're working hard. We're lucky to have former player Lucas Poore helping us this year. We're at least working hard to actually run the system and do what we're doing. We have the ability to start offering more tissue and today we've taken a big step in that regard. We're chipping away at it.”
Less than a minute after Traylor's goal, Wildcats senior Connor Gaughan passed to Jenkins, who took a nifty shot to the back of his shoulder and scored.
Ghosn and Jenkins scored 19 seconds apart at the end of the quarter, giving NFA an 8-3 halftime lead.
“We fell a little behind and didn't play as well as we expected, but towards the middle of the game we started to pick up and got more guys involved,” Jenkins said.
Wildcats goaltender Luke Wartling finished with six saves and NFA defeated Norwich Tech 6-0 in the second half.
“It's a tough schedule,” Farnsworth said. “This is one of the big challenges that we've been telling our kids ever since we started, that this is a very difficult schedule for us and we have to work hard to be competitive. That’s it.”
Jenkins powered the Wildcats with seven goals and one assist. Ghosn had three goals and three assists, Tristan Rainey scored two goals and Jordan Legacy and CJ Frank each had one goal.
Jenkins is active in the NFA in youth soccer and wrestling, and plans to attend Western New England University in the fall to play lacrosse.
“I was trying to decide on a few schools, and this one checked all the boxes,” Jenkins said.
“Logan has been a really exemplary captain this year, which is great,” Murphy added.
more:High school male and female tennis players to watch this spring
Jenkins has high expectations for his final season as a Wildcat.
“We want to win the games we have to win, maybe a few upsets, and see how far we can go in the state tournament,” Jenkins said.
The Wildcats are in the middle of a five-game homestand. They will host Fitch (April 16), East Lyme (April 18) and Hall (April 20).
“It's a long season,” Murphy said. “We need a little more depth. We have young players and a young offensive line that are developing, but we have to see how it works. There are still some things we have to improve on. . We need to be more consistent. We're working on it.”
