HINE GIVES MCNAMARA BOYS LAX TRIPLE OVERTIME WIN

By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

There are many days when Bishop McNamara’s boys lacrosse team just has to take solace in the fact that it’s a first-year varsity program that doesn’t have the experience of most other teams – especially those in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

Most times their work results in a lopsided loss and the hope that they are getting better. For a while, it looked like Friday was going to be another one of those times.

It turned out to be, as junior Kevin Hine described it, a very special day.

Bishop McNamara won its second varsity lacrosse game, beating Montgomery County’s John F. Kennedy, 9-8, in triple overtime. The Mustangs beat Archbishop Carroll on March 19, but Friday’s win was declared the finest in McNamara program history.

“It was pure joy,” said Hine, who scored six goals including the game-winner. “I’ve never been in an overtime game. To go into three overtimes is special, and then to win it, it’s pretty special.”

McNamara shut down its varsity boys lacrosse program in 1996 and didn’t have any team for four years. In 2000, Coach Garry Imes started a club team and it was junior varsity for the next six years. The program went four years without winning a single game. Last year the Mustangs were 5-7 at the JV level.

This season, McNamara had suffered a 14-2 loss to Ireton, 19-1 loss to St. Vincent Pallotti, 6-4 loss to Eleanor Roosevelt’s club squad and 14-2 loss to Good Counsel.

“You don’t go in expecting to win every game, especially against the top competition,” Hine said. “But you don’t give up. You never know what can happen.”

As Friday’s game went on, Imes further realized that his team had a real chance to beat Kennedy who last season finished above .500 for the first time in school history at 8-6.

“There’s two ways we’re leaving this field,” Imes told his players. “You want to come out with a W or with an L? I know this is an opportunity. Seize the day.”

The Mustangs had taken a 4-1 lead to start the game with the first three goals scored by Hine – one of only a handful of players with any experience before high school – and the fourth scored by senior Vincent Lubetski. Kennedy scored two goals to bring the score to 4-3 at halftime.

Kennedy quickly took the lead near the start of the third quarter on a goal by Zack Eiser. Hine tied the game at 5-5 with five seconds left in the third quarter. Kennedy opened the fourth quarter with goals by Dimitri Papadopouls and Vinay Dhanaraj to take a 7-5 lead.

McNamara defenseman David Beall scored to bring the Mustangs within one and Hine scored two more goals to give the Mustangs the lead with one minute, 52 seconds remaining. But with one second left in regulation, Papadopouls ripped a shot to send the game into overtime.

“My heart sunk,” said McNamara senior goalie Phil Foster, who finished with 15 saves. “I was broken-hearted. I was ready to explode. But I knew I had to keep my head up and we had to win this game.”

Two scoreless overtimes passed before Beall found Hine on a fast break caused by a turnover. Hine streaked to the goal and buried the shot before tearing off his equipment in celebration.

To Kennedy, Friday’s game was just a preseason scrimmage. To the Mustangs, it’s a win they will long cherish.

“We actually have a winning streak of two games in a row,” Imes said. “So yeah, this is definitely the greatest win in school history.”