Ravenscroft falls short against Charlotte Latin in NCISAA boys’ lacrosse championshp
Ravenscroft’s boys’ lacrosse team entered new territory and set several school records this season – most wins and longest winning streak among them.
But the Ravens couldn’t come up with their biggest first Saturday – a state championship.
Ravenscroft erased an early deficit against host Charlotte Latin, but couldn’t quite keep up in the second half during a 15-10 loss in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association championship game.
Carson Song had three goals and assisted on five others for the top-seeded Hawks (17-3), who had to overcome a second-quarter rally by the third-seeded Ravens (15-2) to win their fourth straight state title and the program’s fifth overall.
“We dug a big hole at the onset, but our kids came roaring back,” Ravenscroft coach Sandy Kapatos said. “We had our opportunities in the second half, but we didn’t take advantage of it. But I’m proud of the boys – they’re resilient. We just didn’t have enough.”
Charlotte Latin bolted to a 5-1 lead against the Ravens with less than two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first quarter.
But Ravenscroft – which knocked off Charlotte Country Day in the semifinals on Thursday – fought back to tie the score at 8 at the half.
McLean Voelkel scored three goals and had two of his three assists during the run, including a score with 2:25 left in the second quarter that gave the Ravens their first lead.
Jack Newell added three goals and two assists for the Ravens, and Cole Cutter scored twice and assisted on two more. Matt Johnson and Spencer Beller also scored.
“We have the ability to get out to a hot start, but we also settle into the game at times,” Charlotte Latin coach Dick Sipperly said. “They were getting behind us and getting some pretty easy goals. Once we figured that out and settled back into our defense, we were able to contain them pretty well. That second half showed it.”
The Hawks broke away in the third quarter, scoring four unanswered goals – three during an 18-second span early in the period – and seven total over the final two quarters. Meanwhile, they held Ravenscroft to a pair of fourth-quarter goals.
Jack Gitlin had four goals and Owen Armstrong added three for the Hawks.
This story was originally published May 16, 2015 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Ravenscroft falls short against Charlotte Latin in NCISAA boys’ lacrosse championshp."