Boys Lacrosse: Strong finish beats Huskies

Mitch Hilton 4 goals, assist (photo by J. Lindquist)

Farmington rang up four unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to cap a come-from-behind win over section rival Owatonna Thursday night in Owatonna.

"Going in we knew this game was crucial to our goal of having a high seed for sections," Tiger coach Paul Sorensen said. "Being it was on the road and we were without some key players, we went in with a 'play together' mentality.

"The game was tight throughout but I never got the feeling we were out of it, even being down 7-4 midway through the third quarter...Then something clicked. We started playing smart, stayed out of the box, and the goals came."

As has been the case in most of the Tiger wins this season, the offense featured a balanced attack. Brendan Berg and Mitch Hilton led the way with four goals and an assist apiece. 

Garrett Gunderson, Ryan Cole and Kevin Clifton also scored for the winners who also got assists from Corey Rudrud, Chris Fitzgibbons and Michael Thompson.

Matt Heinzerling had another rock solid game in goal, stopping 10 of 17 shots  The Tigers outshot the Huskies by a 33-17 count. 

"Ground ball machine" Dan Block (photo by J. Lindquist)

"Mitch (Hilton) had a breakout game," Sorensen said. " Matt (Heinzerling) showed why he is one of the best goalies in the state. Dan Block continues to be a ground ball machine, and our entire defensive effort was superior in the fourth quarter."  

The win bumped Farmington's season record above the .500 mark at 5-4 and set up a hectic closing week to the regular season in which the Tigers play four games in five days.

"This week will help to determine our seed and our ultimate goal of a state berth," Sorensen said.