Down 5-1 at the half, the Cate boys lacrosse team came out fired up after the break and pulled out a 12-6 win over visiting non-league rival Oak Park Tuesday at the lush, rain-fed Nion Tucker Field.
With the win the Rams remain undefeated at 4-0.
Cate’s Oscar Livingston won the opening face-off of the second half and notched a goal in less than 20 seconds. Livingston once again won the ensuing face-off, setting up a Harry McAdam goal just 18 seconds later to close the gap to 5-3.
McAdam, Livingston, and Cody Mast added rapid fire goals over the span of 30 seconds, and in just four minutes of second-half action, the Rams found themselves with a 6-4 lead and never looked back.
Wade Nieman added to the barrage with a goal of his own, allowing Cate to take an 8-6 lead into the final period.
“Today was an unbelievable team effort,” Rams head coach Wade Ransom said. “Despite being short handed with a few key injuries, we saw some of the best lacrosse of the season from our squad.
“The second half was the true definition of team effort with the offense, defense and goalie feeding off of each other’s energy. We made a statement today with our resolve and emotional toughness. When we were down at half, it was amazing to see not one person panic. They knew they were capable of more and went out and proved it en route to winning the game.”
The momentum continued in the fourth quarter. Livingston was very strong at the X, giving the Rams possession on nearly every face-off in the half. McAdam added a goal in the final quarter, Nieman scored twice, including a beautiful assist from Baye Breene.
The goal of the day came on an end-to-end pole goal from defenseman Kristian Scurtis, putting the exclamation point on a massive comeback victory.
McAdam finished with five goals and two assists, and Nieman with three goals and two assists.
“A huge shoutout to head athletic trainer Shannon Drew for doing her best to return injured athletes from both teams to the field in vital situations,” Ransom said.
Next up, the Rams host Thacher for the next installment of the longest-running lacrosse rivalry in California, dating back to 1967. First whistle is at 4:30 p.m.