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Wooten’s Return: Albemarle boys lacrosse routs Western

For the first two weeks of the season, the Albemarle boys’ lacrosse team had to play without one of its best players with senior defenseman Max Wooten while he was out with an injury. The Patriots went 2-1 with wins over Orange County and Charlottesville and a very close 4-3 loss at Monticello. Albemarle played well overall, but you could tell they were missing a crucial piece. 

 

With Wooten back on the field Tuesday, the Patriots immediately looked like a different team, ready to achieve lofty goals this season. Wooten scored two goals and Jake King scored five as Albemarle routed rival Western Albemarle, 14-6, on Tuesday night. 

 

Albemarle won the initial faceoff and put two shots on cage that were both saved by Western goaltender John Zayas. Western failed to clear as Wooten stole the ball at midfield, charged into the box, and scored to give Albemarle the lead. 

 

“I’ve played defense my whole life, but I like to stick a couple every once in a while,” Wooten said after the game. 

 

Nolan Pitsenberger scored for Albemarle less than a minute later, but then Western won the next faceoff and Austin Payne scored on a dodge from behind the goal to make it 2-1. The Patriots scored the next two goals, including one from Jake King. A Western penalty gave Albemarle a chance to extend their lead, but Western’s Tyler Spano had other ideas, scoring a goal while the Warriors were short-handed to make it 4-2. 

 

Both teams did not execute particularly well on man-up opportunities, with Western going 1 for 4 and Albemarle failing to convert on their five man-up chances. The Patriots largely used their man-ups to kill clock and save energy, as Albemarle plays a small rotation of players and they held a sizable lead for most of the game. 

 

Brock Stroud, who finished with two goals and two assists, scored at the end of the first quarter to give Albemarle a 5-2 lead. 

 

Western switched to a zone defense in the second quarter, daring Albemarle to shoot from the outside. Jake King did just that, scoring his second goal from the outside less than a minute into the second quarter. 

 

Western’s Quinn Reilly responded with a man-up goal to make it 6-3, but Albemarle then went on a 4-0 run, including back-to-back flashy plays by Kevin Myers. On the first, Myers zipped a pass from outside the box to a leaping Owen Tighe who caught and finished in mid-air. One minute later, Myers scored on a dodge that started near midfield and went through four different Warrior defenders before scoring. 

 

Max Wooten added his second goal on another transition shot late in the second quarter. At halftime, Albemarle led 10-4. 

 

“You saw the impact that Max Wooten has when he’s healthy,” said Albemarle head coach David King. “That’s the first game Max has played and that is the best player on the field at all times anytime we play.” 

 

Wooten was all over the place for Albemarle, causing turnovers on the defensive end and scooping ground balls at midfield. 

 

“I feel amazing,” Wooten said. “Losing to Monticello was a heartbreaker. This game was awesome and a great comeback.”

 

In the second half, Albemarle slowed down the tempo even more, content to let time run off the clock while holding the comfortable lead. Just three total goals were scored in the third quarter, but the game became pretty chippy and physical, with both teams incurring non-releasable unsportsmanlike penalties for illegal hits. 

 

With just a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, Jake King scored his fifth goal on an impressive low-to-high rip that stung the top of the net to punctuate the victory. 

 

Aden Rogers chipped in two goals for the Patriots and Ryder Meistrell had a pair of assists. Aidan Taffe made eight saves in the cage for Albemarle. 

 

Payne and Spano each had two goals for the Warriors. 

 

Albemarle will travel to Fluvanna on Friday night, while Western will play at Charlottesville on Friday night. 

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