Senior captain Michael Buckley and the Robinson boys’ lacrosse team finished Concorde District runners up to Chantilly. Photo by Craig Sterbutzel.
Chantilly — After coming up one goal short against Chantilly for the second time in 16 days, Robinson head coach Matt Curran urged his players to push forward and move on to a bigger stage.
The Robinson boys’ lacrosse team lost 6-5 in double overtime against the Chantilly Chargers in the Concorde District championship game on May 10-11 at Chantilly High School. The game started on May 10, but was suspended due to lightning with 14 seconds remaining in the second quarter and finished the following day.
Charlie Morrisette’s goal with 5:17 remaining in regulation pulled the Rams even with the Chargers at 5-all, but Chantilly’s Conrad Unterkofler scored the game-winner in the second overtime period.
“Don’t let it fester,” Curran said. “Just get over it because we have a game on Tuesday for the region. This is the district—this is a sixteam field. Now we’re going in to play the big one in a 16-team field, so just focus on that.”
Three days later, on May 14, Robinson responded how Curran had hoped, beating Lake Braddock 8-1 in the opening round of the Northern Region tournament.
“I have no trouble motivating these guys,” Curran said after the district championship game. “And we can use this game as [motivation]. Everybody’s saying Chantilly is the best team in the area. We’ve played to them one-goal games twice, and one of them was a double-OT game. We can use that as, all right, if they’re the best team in the area, then we’ve got to be up there with the tops, as well.”
With the top seed in the district tournament on the line, Robinson closed the regular season with a 12-11 loss to Chantilly on April 26. During the May 10 rematch, the Rams held a 2-1 lead when play was suspended due to lighting with 14 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Play resumed at 9 a.m. the following day and Chantilly took a 5-4 lead on a goal by Curtis Christian with 6:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. Morrisette tied the score with 5:17 left in regulation, but the Rams failed to score another goal.
“Don’t let it fester. Just get over it because we have a game on Tuesday for the region. This is the district—this is a six-team field. Now we’re going in to play the big one in a 16-team field, so just focus on that.”
—Robinson boys’ lacrosse coach Matt Curran
Morrisette and fellow senior captain Connor Lloyd each scored two goals for Robinson, and junior midfielder Matt Smith had one.
Unterkofler led Chantilly with four goals.
Robinson goalkeeper Nick Kondracki had a big game, helping keep the Rams alive with 23 saves.
“He had a great game,” Curran said. “Nick wasn’t a first-team alldistrict goalie, but he certainly looked like a first-team all-district goalie last night and this morning.”
Robinson first-team all-Concorde District attackman Chapman Jasien suffered a knee injury during the contest and did not return.
Robinson will host McLean, the Liberty District’s No. 4 seed, in the regional quarterfinals at 7 p.m. today.
Robinson’s Jasien, midfielders Sam Shaw and Michael Buckley, defenseman Jack Rowlett and long-stick midfielder Brandon Natsuhara were named to the all-district first team. Kondracki, Morrisette, defenseman Jude Buckholz and short-stick midfielder Taylor Jones were second-team selections.