2008 North Meck Viking Season Recap

VIKINGS PLAYERS SHINE IN QUEEN CITY 50

The four Viking players selected to play in the Queen City 50 provided an excellent representation of the team on Friday night at Charlotte Memorial Stadium.  Billy Blakely, Kyle Brashear and Will McDonald put in quality time for the Blue team, while Eric Fuschino anchored the White team for the second half.  Kyle started the Viking effort scoring the first goal of the game, unassisted.  Billy Blakely added a goal and two assists in the second half as the Blue Team held on for a 12 - 10 victory.  Will and Kyle used the same strategy employed during the season with Will handling face-offs and long stick defense and Kyle alternating on the offensive end.  McDonald helped neutralize a potent White team offense while Eric Fuschino played a solid second half, allowing the White team to close a five goal halftime deficit to two goals by the end of the game.  Congratulations to all four players who closed their high school lacrosse careers on a high note. 

VIKINGS COMPLETE SEASON WITH STRONG REPRESENTATION IN QUEEN CITY 50

As the Vikings Club era draws to a close, the team will field four players for the Charlotte Queen City 50 All-Star Classic to be held Friday May 30th at Charlotte Memorial Stadium.  We congratulate Billy Blakely, Kyle Brashear, Eric Fuschino and Will McDonald for their hard work and dedication this year.  Please remember that the Queen City 50 is a night of celebrating the growth of the Charlotte Lacrosse community.  The traditional tailgate-barbeque runs from 4pm to 7:30pm.  There will be a preliminary LAXSTARZ game at 5:30pm with the Queen City 50 face off at 7:30pm.  The barbeque is great, the lacrosse is even better. Come on out and get your last lax fix of the season.

The barbeque is $10, or pre-order and pay only $7.  Take a plate and enjoy a nice tailgate experience uptown before the action starts. Game tickets are $10, $5 for students and parking at the stadium is only $3.  Come out and show the community that lacrosse is alive and better than ever in Charlotte!!!!

VIKINGS STAGE DRAMATIC SECOND HALF COMEBACK TO SECURE 7 - 7 TIE AGAINST LADY VIKINGS 

It required a total team effort (at times all on the field at the same time) to stage a classic Vikings comeback against a gritty and loud Vikingette team.  In a pattern that has become known throughout the LAX world as the "Vikings opening gambit", a quick Viking goal was followed by a barrage of shots against a shell-shocked Eric (can we please run the Gilman clear??) Fuschino, leading to a half time deficit that appeared all but impossible to overcome. 

In all fairness, the Vikings faced seemingly overwhelming odds due in part to the rules set forth by the "fair and impartial" committee of Chris (thank God the season's over) Diamond and well, Chris (I'm really going to miss these fine student atheletes) Diamond.  As one Viking player explained, "basically we were screwed, I mean THREE passes before a shot, come on, that's just not our style...."  In addition, the Vikings faced a menacing opposing goal keeper.  While not insinuating that the lady Vikings were experimenting with physical enhancement drugs, their keeper looked, well, like a clone of Ian (why did I have to come to all those stupid varsity games) Stimson...

The Vikings staged a classic rally behind the tandem of Ryan (I'm open on the crease....again!) Cawley and Billy (I'm going left, jumping and shooting, try and stop me) Blakely to even the score at 7 with but a few minutes to play.  Unfortunately, "referee" (we use the term loosely) Diamond, perhaps finally inundated by a season of questionable refereeing, resorted to the style of officiating he was exposed to all year and simply made it up as he went along down the stretch, resulting in some questionable calls (coach, the goalie doesn't count as a man in the crease violation....).

In the final minute. both teams resorted to their 25 man up offense, but to no avail.  Mercifully, no cries for overtime, sudden death, shootouts, braveheart, rock-paper-scissors, or any other means of breaking the tie were requested by either team.

VARSITY, JV END SEASON ON HIGH NOTE WITH A PAIR OF VICTORIES AT LAKE NORMAN

In a circus-like atmosphere and lots of little lax players running around, the Vikings teams put a hurt on the Wildcats' Senior Night.  The JV set the tone, taking a 5 - 1 halftime lead, only to tease the home crowd by allowing the Wildcats to close to 7-4 by the end of the game.  Vikings goals came from a pair of goals by Dylan Knight (from Zack Baughan and Grant Gougeon) two by Miles Jahns (from Chris Ahern and Kendall Moore) another pair by Zack Baughan (from Chris Ahern and unassisted) and a solo tally by Kendall Moore (unassisted).  As usual, Ian Stinson was the man in goal, recording 9 saves on 13 shots. Nice work guys. 

In the varsity game, the Vikings again faced a fired up team celebrating Senior Night.  In a pattern that is all to familiar and painful to Vikings fans, the team spotted Lake Norman two early goals before waking up and playing Vikings lacrosse.  The Vikings got on the board with an unassisted goal by Kyle Brashear and a pair of late first quarter goals by Billy Blakely gave the Vikings a 3 - 2 lead after one and they never trailed again.  Lake Norman stayed within striking range, trailing 5 - 3 at the half and managed to tie the game at 6 - 6 after three quarters.  The fourth quarter was dominated by the Vikings as four straight goals, two by Blakely, one by Brashear and one by Ryan Cawley game the Vikings a 10 - 6 lead and a final score of 10 - 8. 

In a game marking the end of the road for a strong senior class, the seniors carried the day. Eric Fuschino kept the Vikings in the game with some early point blank stops and his usual forays into the offensive zone.  Seniors Jarrett Chambers, Justin Ckezepis, Josh Hedrick, and Wil McDonald anchored the defense and took up the slack when Kevin Hart was injured early in the game.  Jordan Smith handled a lions share of the face-off duty, supported by fellow mid-fielders Kyle Brashear, David Russell, Nick Venuti, and John Dalrymple.  The attack was led by Billy Blakely with support by Jamie Morton and at times, Kyle Brashear and John Dalrymple.

  Blakely and Brashear ended their Vikings careers with six goals (career high?) and two goals respectively, and Ryan Cawley accounted for the other two scores.  The only down side to the game was an injury to Kevin Hart in the first quarter.

VARSITY RALLIES, COMES UP SHORT IN HEARTBREAKER AGAINST MYERS PARK

The varsity squad looked nothing like the team that took the field Friday night, playing a great game against rival Myers Park.  After Spotting the Mustangs to an early 5 - 2 lead, the Vikings came out in the second half to forge a 7 - 6 lead.  Both teams traded scores, and the Vikings rallied a second time to take the lead 10 - 9 with under five minutes to play.  Two late Myers Park goals went unanswered in the final two minutes, as the Vikings fell 11 - 10.  This was a great lacrosse game by two teams who on this day were very evenly matched.  Great effort guys, but that's probably the last thing you want to hear........

JV CONTINUES TO WIN, VARSITY UNDERACHIEVES ON THE ROAD AGAINST ARDREY KELL

The evening started on a high note as the jv squad played strong defense en route to a 4 - 1 victory over the home standing Firebirds.  A pair of goals by Chris Ahern led the attack, with solo scores by Miles Jahns and Adam Lockhart rounding out the scoring.  In the varsity match up, an early goal by Ryan Cawley seemed to promise more good things for the Vikings.  Unfortunately, this was the high water mark for the game as Ardrey Kell, playing with lots of emotion on Senior Night, dominated the rest of the way en route to an 8 - 5 victory.  In a game marked with sloppy play at both ends, the Vikings were never able to climb back into the game.

VIKINGS FALL TO CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC  12 - 3, FACE WINNER OF TONIGHT'S CCD - MYERS PARK GAME

Kyle Brashear, Billy Blakely and Blake Hart scored for the Vikings, but it wasn't enough as the top team in the state continued its undefeated season in the first round of the City Championships. 

VIKINGS RECOVER FROM BREAK WITH STRONG OUTING AGAINST # 4 RANKED CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY

While there may be no such thing as a moral victory, the Vikings strong effort against the number four team in the state proved a strong turn around from Wednesday's game at Catholic.  Continuing to experiment at times with a zone defense against teams with lot's of offensive firepower, the Vikings fell behind in the first half, 6 - 1.  After the break the defense played better and the offense finally found the net as the Vikings outscored CCD 5 - 4,  coming up on the losing end of a 10 - 6 game.  The Vikings were led by Billy Blakely's two goals while solo scores were recorded by Kyle Brashear, Ryan Cawley, Jordan Smith and David Russell.

SPRING BREAK DOLDRUMS, SPEED CARRY CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC TO WINS OVER JV AND VARSITY SQUADS

A talented opponent and the traditional post-spring break sleepwalk teamed to hit the Vikings with a pair of lopsided losses at Charlotte Catholic. Against the top ranked team in the state, the Vikings played even in the first period before the speed and stickwork of the 14-0 Cougars began to dominate.  In a game full of hard hits and trash talking, the Vikings played hard for four quarters, but could not muster any offense in the second half, resulting in a final score of 18 - 3.   The Vikings goals were scored by Ryan Cawley, Jordan Smith and Nick Venuti.  Billy Blakely added a pair of assists. 

In the opening game, the jv played tough throughout most of the first quarter before allowing a pair of late unsettled goals off face-offs to trail 4 - 1 after one quarter.  The second quarter was much the same, with late CC goals leading to a 8 - 2 halftime score.  The Vikings played tough in the second half, allowing only three goals as the final score was 11 - 3.  Vikings goals were scored by Charlie Chesson from Chris Ahern, Dylan Knight from Sean Henderson and Mark D'Ambra unassisted.

VARSITY BOUNCES BACK WITH 11-1 VICTORY OVER MARVIN RIDGE

The Vikings took advantage of playing a new team to get playing time to as many players as possible in a home win against Marvin Ridge.  Though yet to win this season, MR held the Vikings at bay until Ryan Cawley scored on an assist from Billy Blakely with 2:29 left in the first  period. The Vikings quickly extended the lead on a goal by Blakely from Austin Grabowski and never looked back.  Goalkeeper Eric Fuschino was able to hold MR to a single second quarter goal and the defense limited the visiting team to six shots on goal.

In the final analysis, Cawley and Blakely each ended the night with three goals and two assists.   Austin Grabowski added a pair of goals and one assist while solo scores were recorded by Dylan Knight, Kyle Weber, and David Russell. Alex Sorenson and John Dalrymple registered assists to close out the Vikings offensive efforts.

WEATHER, THIRD QUARTER FOILS VIKINGS EFFORTS AGAINST MYERS PARK

Weather conspired against the jv, forcing a cancellation of their game and a third quarter lapse erased a great first half effort as the varsity lost 10 - 8 to the Mustangs.

The varsity dominated Myers Park in the first half, scoring the opening two goals and playing the Mustangs to a 4 - 4 tie at the half.  The second half was a different story as the Mustangs took advantage of prolonged man-up opportunities and poor clearing by the Vikings to wear down the defense and score six unanswered goals, taking a 10 - 4 lead into the fourth quarter.  The heart of this years Vikings squad was again showcased as the Vikings continued to play hard and responded with four unanswered goals, dominating the end of the game before running out of time.

Ryan Cawley led all Vikings scorers with four goals.  Jamie Morton added a pair of goals and solo tally's by Blakely, Brashear and Grabowski rounded out the scoring.

VARSITY, JV DOMINATE WITH VICTORIES AGAINST FT MILL

The Vikings maintained their momentum with a pair of wins at Huntersville Athletic Park Tuesday.  The JV team outscored the visiting Ft Mill squad 7 - 3.  Details will be reported as soon as they are available.

The Varsity likewise dominated every aspect of the game, registering a 13 - 4 victory. Leading the Vikings scoring was Ryan Cawley with 4 goals, followed by Kyle Brashear with 3, Billy Blakeley with 2 and solo scores by Sorenson, Grabowski, Hedrick, and Lockhart.  The Vikings (3-2), the #2 ranked club team in the state, next faces perennial rival Myers Park (4-5) on Friday at HAP in a game that may well decide the final slot for the City Championship next month.  JV will attempt to set the tone at 6pm with varsity to follow..

VARSITY BOUNCES BACK WITH WIN AT CANNON

The Vikings attack provided the firepower while Eric Fuschino and the defense played stout as the Vikings left Concord with a 6 - 3 victory and this years Cabarrus County bragging rights.  On a soggy field, Cannon struck first and held a 2 -1 lead at halftime.  The only first half goal was scored by Ryan Cawley with an assist to Billy Blakely.  The third period was dominated by the Vikings who scored three unanswered goals with Kyle Weber scoring on another assist from Blakely, Cawley again on an assist from Alex Sorenson and Jamie Morton with the assist to Kyle Brashear.  Cannon scored early in the fourth quarter to pull within one, but a pair of unassisted goals by Billy Blakely using a nice isolation play put the outcome out of reach for the Cougars.  The defense stepped up and Fuschino stoned the Cougar offense with several point-blank saves.

VIKINGS JV CONTINUES  WINNING STREAK WHILE VARSITY STRUGGLES IN WEEKEND GAMES

The JV team remained undefeated with a 2 - 1 victory against Weddington HS on Friday night.  Another outstanding defensive effort showed as the Vikings withstood intense pressure from the Warrior JV in the fourth quarter, preserving the victory.

Unfortunately, the varsity was unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities and the defense was finally wore down by constant Warrior pressure in a 9 - 3 loss.  After spotting Weddington an early lead, the Vikings rallied to close the gap to 4 - 3 in the second quarter but could not muster much offense after that. 

A quick 12 hour turn-around did not put the varsity in a better position against the top ranked team in the state as the Vikings fell 14 - 5 to Charlotte Latin.

VIKINGS CONTINUE WINNING WAYS AS JV DEFEATS DENVER 2 - 0

In a game dominated by both defenses, the JV squad shut out visiting Denver behind stellar goaltending by Ian Stimson.  The Vikings got on the board late in the first quarter with Charlie Chesson setting up Sean Henderson to give the Vikings a lead they took to halftime.  The Vikings gained some breathing room as Kevin Hart assisted on a third period goal by Miles Jahns.  The Vikings pelted the Denver goal with 17 shots, while Ian Stimson recorded the shutout, making four saves.

VIKINGS OPEN REGULAR SEASON WITH PAIR OF WINS OVER LAKE NORMAN

The 2008 regular season got underway with a pair of games against a vastly improved Lake Norman squad.  In the opening game, the jv struggled for the first quarter before finding their rhythm and registering a 7 - 2 victory.  Sean Henderson led the Vikings with three goals while Miles Jahns added a pair. Charlie Chesson, and Kendall Moore each added solo goals to round out the Vikings scoring. Ian Stimson was stout in goal with 6 saves on 8 shots on goal.

The varsity squad likewise experienced trouble finding their way, allowing Lake Norman to tally two unanswered goals early in the second period to take a 2 - 0 lead.  Just before halftime, Jordan Smith found Austin Grabowski open in front of the goal to close the margin to 2 - 1 at halftime.

The coaches did their job during intermission as the Vikings played aggressive lacrosse throughout the second half. Four third period goals by Nick Venuti, Austin Grabowski, Jamie Morton and Kyle Brashear pushed the Vikings to a 5 - 2 lead that was never challenged.  A pair of goals by Billy Blakely and a goal by Jordan Smith opened the Vikings lead to 8 - 2. Two late goals by Lake Norman completed the scoring as the varsity closed out Lake Norman with an 8 - 4 victory.  The only question remaining is "do the sweats come off?!?!".

The win propelled the Vikings to the LAXPOWER #1 ranking for NC club teams and an overall state ranking of 13.

VIKINGS SHOW IMPROVEMENT AND FINISH LAX PLAY DAY AT 1 - 3

The defense played steady most of the day and the offense finally showed life in games 3 and 4 as the 2008 season opened at the Charlotte Country Day LAX Play Day. After starting the day with 4 - 0 and 3 - 0 losses to Charlotte Country Day and Myers Park, the Vikings played tough against Providence Day, taking a 1 - 0 lead before falling 2 - 1.  In the final game, The Viking offense finally gelled, scoring five goals in a 5 - 2 victory against Charlotte Catholic.