Great Scott! Bulldogs set in net
Tyler Scott doesn’t mind taking one or two for the team.
The 16-year-old, Grade 11 student volunteered to go between the pipes for the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs boys field lacrosse team three years ago and has been a fixture in goal ever since.
“I started because my team needed a goalie a couple of years ago. I only played box before and then during COVID they needed a goalie so I went in,” Scott said Thursday as the Bulldogs split a pair of games at a Niagara Regional High School Athletic Association jamboree at Greater Fort Erie Secondary School.
Scott admits tending goal in field lacrosse is a different kind of challenge.
“I don’t know, it’s tough but you deal with it,” he said when asked for the secret to success. “(You’re) trying not to be scared of the ball so you’re not flinching and trying to guess.”
With virtually no extra equipment, it’s no wonder fear creeps in.
“You could wear shin pads but most people don’t,” he said. “It’s hard to move.”
Scott, who is the backup to Mike Napoli with the St. Catharines WMKL Athletics junior B squad, feels it’s important to have a short memory.
“You just have to move on to the next shot and try and get the next one,” he said.
Sir Winsrton coach Kristen Corcoran appreciates what Scott brings to the team.
“One hundred per cent it’s one of the biggest jobs. Obviously, you need the whole team to pull in and stuff but what’s great about him is he’s always got his eye on the ball and he knows where he needs to be and he’s telling guys where he needs them to be,” she said. “He’s just so quick.”
Corcoran is the first to admit tending goal in field lacrosse is a near-impossible task.
“I would not wanting to be doing it,” she smiled. “They’re going in there and they have a chin guard, that’s about the only difference they have. He’s not a huge guy. He’s small, he’s quick and he’s got his eye where it needs to be. I think that’s his saving grace compared to some of these other goalies. He’s got that speed.”
The Bulldogs dropped a 13-2 decision to the defending OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) champion Governor Simcoe Redcoats Thursday morning before rebounding with a 10-5 win over the E.L. Crossley Cyclone.
Corcoran is pleased with the team’s progress this season.
“It’s good. We’ve had a solid team for the last few years,” he said. “Something is clicking with them right now. They’re really starting to get into their own.
“We have a lot of young players, only two Grade 12s, we have a few Grade 11s and predominately a bunch of Grade 10s. Something is clicking and they are starting to come together and you’re starting to see they’re anticipating where the ball needs to be, they’re anticipating where the guys are coming from and starting to play really well together.”
Simon Marshall had three goals, James Lindsey, John Wright and Easton Poirier two each and Ty Kostyniuk one for the Bulldogs in the win over Crossley.
Josh Paterson had three goals for the Cyclone while Jack Brownly and Aaron Jackson also scored.
Kostyniuk and Lindsey scored verus Simcoe.
Nodin Buck had four goals for the Redcoats while Ari Steenhuis added three. Max D’Alosio, Sutter Pilon, Cody MacNeil, Reif Steenhuis and Kieran Raynor added singles. One goal scorer was not identified.
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