Dramatic goal lifts Summit over Aspen

ASPEN — A certain rout rapidly turned into a nail biter.

The Aspen lacrosse team mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter Saturday against visiting Summit, scoring four goals in a five-plus minute span to tie the game at eight. The Skiers could not, however, contain Tigers Sam Dudick and Braxton Campbell.

The duo, who combined for seven goals and five assists, hooked up one final time with 10 seconds remaining. Campbell passed to Dudick for a dramatic game winner, and Summit prevailed, 9-8.

"It was definitely a heartbreaker the way we came back, then couldn't hold on," Aspen's Ricky Frias said.

The Skiers seemed all but finished. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Remy Pearlstone garnered a three-minute penalty when referees deemed his stick illegal. Just 50 seconds later, Campbell converted on Summit's one-man advantage when he fired a shot from left of the net to beat keeper John Adams, stretching his team's lead to 8-4.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Aspen retaliated. Charlie Olson beat the Tigers defense on a clear up the left side with 8:56 remaining, then passed off to Ricky Frias for the score.

Two minutes later, Beau Seguin picked up a loose ball in Aspen's end and evaded at least three Tigers as he sprinted toward midfield and passed off to Simon Dolginow. Dolginow in turn found a streaking Frias, who trimmed the deficit to two with a well-placed shot.

Summit's defenders had little time to catch their breath. After a Tigers player was whistled for leaving early on the ensuing faceoff, Aspen's Kyle Lusk charged and passed off to Gaelen Means, who beat Summit keeper Nick Hrycai. Just 13 seconds elapsed between goals as the Skiers pulled to within one with 6:28 to play.

Frias wasn't done. The senior surveyed the defense with 4:40 on the clock, and opted to take on the defender bearing down on him rather than pass to a teammate. He leapt and fired a shot that caught Hrycai off guard and out of position.

"It definitely wasn't me trying to do it all. It was more that I got beat and ran out of options," Frias said. "The defense played me tough, and I elevated, took a shot and got lucky."

The tension continued to mount as seconds and minutes ticked off the clock. The Tigers patiently passed the ball around the perimeter of the Skiers defense and generated three shots from close range in a two and a half-minute span; Adams smothered all three attempts with some alert stick handling.

"Our defense stayed tight and shut them down offensively," Aspen coach Mike Goerne said. "John shut down all the outside shots. He didn't give up any easy goals and made them earn every goal."

Adams was vulnerable in the final seconds, however, as the defenders in front of him were caught out of position. After the Skiers turned the ball over on an offensive possession, Summit quickly pushed the ball up the right sideline. Campbell received a pass from a midfielder, then found Dudick all alone on the opposite side of the net; Dudick paused, then flicked a shot that found nylon.

Aspen could not gain possession of the ensuing faceoff, and the ball slid harmlessly across the turf as time expired.

Despite squandering a lead that reached as many as four goals on multiple occasions, The Tigers didn't let this game slip away. Campbell led the way with four goals and three assists, and front-line mate Dudick added three scores, two of which came in the second half. Jon McMurry and Max O'Neil added goals in a first quarter in which Summit overwhelmed the Skiers with pressure and physical play on both ends of the field.

"I think it was nerves. We know every time we play it's going to be a one-goal game," said Frias, who led the Skiers with three goals and an assist. "We had to get used to the tempo. ... It took us a quarter for the defense to get settled in."

Despite the final outcome, Goerne said he was impressed by his team's play and the strides the first-year program is making.

"This is a testament to the distance we've come," he said. "This is a huge sign of our progress. We're taking leaps and bounds."

jmaletz@aspentimes.com