By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com
Landon senior Andrew Nagel partially tore his the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on the second day of practice in early February.
As soon as it happened he thought about whether he be able to return in time for Landon’s game against longtime IAC rival Georgetown Prep.
After opting out of surgery, Nagel returned as the hero Thursday.
In just his second game back, Nagel stopped a furious Georgetown Prep comeback with the game-winning goal with 22.9 seconds left to beat the Little Hoyas at home, 6-5.
It’s the first time that any of the Landon players have beaten the Little Hoyas (16-3, 4-1 IAC) and secures the regular-season championship for the Bears (15-3, 5-1). Landon won the IAC tournament last year but fell to the Little Hoyas in four overtimes during the regular season.
“I just knew I got a shot to come back,” Nagel said of the diagnosis that he didn’t need surgery. “I had to work as hard as I could.”
Nagel didn’t miss a single practice in the more than two months he sat out. He was shagging balls and practicing his shot.
Landon Coach Rob Bordley wasn’t sure whether he should start Nagel or whether he could even last a full game after playing just a few minutes against Bullis in his first game back last Friday.
Bordley opted to start Nagel because he scored a goal in last year’s regular-season game against Prep and partially because he had worked so hard to recuperate. Even after Nagel missed a couple scoring chances, Bordley stuck with him.
“He had been out there a year ago and there is no substitute for understanding the magnitude of this game than being in it,” Bordley said.
The Little Hoyas had the ball for what seemed to be the final possession of regulation but Landon goalie Will Joyce made a save, springing Landon’s transition attack with under a minute to go. Nagel got a high pass on the crease from junior Joseph Paoletta and swatted it down in one motion for the game-winner.
“I don’t know what set we were in really,” Nagel said. “It was kind of ’Twenty seconds left, go to goal.’”
Prior to that, Georgetown Prep had scored three straight goals in a span of one minute and two seconds to tie the game at 5. Georgetown Prep’s Billy Gribbin scored the Little Hoyas’ final goal just 12 seconds after Brian Casey (2 goals, 1 assist) pulled Prep to within one.
Georgetown Prep absolutely dominated the third quarter after Landon scored the game’s first four goals and took a 4-0 halftime lead.
“I can’t tell you I was anticipating us scoring the next goal,” Bordley said.
Landon was carried by Will Joyce, who made 11 saves — including one in the final second as Prep nearly forced overtime — and senior midfielder David Mann, who notched three goals including two in the first half. Mann was so tired he could barely stand as Nagel leapt on top of him in celebration following the game-winner.
Now Landon simply has to reach the finals of the IAC tournament to at least guarantee a share of this year’s IAC title.
“Beating Prep senior year; it doesn’t get better than that,” Mann said. “Three goals against Prep, it just feels so good. I’m going to remember this one for a long time.”
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