Eaves scores five in Bulldogs win over Dublin

By GERARDO RECINOS
Martinez Tribune

Alhambra’s lacrosse team cashed in on an opportunity to grab their second win of the season against Dublin on Tuesday night. But it almost didn’t happen for the Bulldogs.

For nearly all of the contest, the Bulldogs trailed before eventually turning the tides in their 10-9 win on April 11.

And to the frustration of coach Al Boyce, most of the Dublin goals came purely from the Bulldogs shooting themselves in the foot.

Three times in the first half the Bulldogs allowed Dublin to nearly walk the ball into the net. Gaels attackers simply had to wait out a poor clearance pass from the back and pounce. Dublin benefited thrice from such a mistake, but every time the Bulldogs matched the effort.

In the seventh minute of the opening quarter, Jack Eaves opened the scoring from an assist off fellow senior Marc Moore. The opener for the Bulldogs came after they had killed off a pair of overlapping penalties that had them at a two-man disadvantage for about 20 seconds.

Eaves scored once more in the half, and lead the team with five goals total on the night. His goal and a late goal from Jake Arrellano knotted things up at 3-3 going into the half time interval, with both teams very much still in it.

But the third quarter belonged solely to the Gaels.

Senior Miguel Gonzales scored a goal that momentarily cut the Dublin to a single goal, but the Gaels answered back and then some.

The Bulldogs allowed a goal from a one minute penalty, and then escaped danger with a two-minute penalty kill. Only to allow a goal a minute into full-strength play.

Down three, the team talk before the fourth quarter was brief from coach Boyce. Without giving away the coach’s secrets, he used his own brand of motivation to let his team know what he expected them to do in the fourth quarter. He also told them what he expected the score to be when he and the rest of the team walked off Knowles Field.

They responded to the motivational tactics.

Less than a minute into quarter, Cole Malinowski opened his account on the night. With only another minute having come off the clock after Malinowski’s goal, the Bulldogs struck again.

Eaves turned provider this time, feeding a slick pass into the near post for Moore to finish.

Completing the impressive three minute, three-goal run, Eaves forced a shot in at the near post from a tight angle, contorting his body to a nearly 45 degree angle, and slinging his shot in.

But the brief tie lasted nearly no time.

It wasn’t until there were only four minutes left on the clock that the Bulldogs could claim a lead.

And of course it was Eaves who got it for the. Fighting his way through a slash, the senior bounced off checks before laying off for Moore to score.

Eaves scored his fifth to double the Bulldog lead, and despite conceding once more, they killed off time effectively enough to get their second win of the season.

About Gerardo Recinos

Gerardo Recinos is a journalist currently living in Concord, Calif. He is a recent graduate of San Francisco State University, with a degree in Journalism (History minor). Gerardo covers sports throughout Martinez and Pleasant Hill. It's his lifelong mission to get people in the U.S. to stop calling football "soccer," and to call American football "handegg."

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