Boys lacrosse: Stevenson holds on for narrow win over Fremd

It was a battle of the green and gold when host Fremd met Stevenson in nonconference boys lacrosse game Monday night in Palatine.

The visiting Patriots led this contest from wire-to-wire as they took a 7-4 lead over the Vikings headed into the final quarter.

And with some great goalkeeping by junior Josh Neela and a late steal by Colin Livesay, Stevenson (3-5) was able to hold on for an exciting 7-6 victory over Fremd (3-5).

Owen Hancock assisted teammate Anthony Spina's close-range goal to open the scoring for the Patriots before Hancock scored on an assist from Ryan Hynes for a 2-0 advantage late in the first quarter.

The Vikings cut the lead to 2-1 36 seconds later as Grant Gruchot fired home a goal from the left wing.

"It was a little too close for comfort and there is a lot we can improve upon, but I loved the effort we fought with tonight," said Stevenson coach Tom Hake, whose team led 4-2 at halftime. "He (Neela) had a heck of a game, his hard work has shown, and it definitely paid off today."

Stevenson's Monty Hashemi scored on a man-up goal for a 3-1 lead 1:01 into the second quarter. But Fremd's Max Jaros scored from long range to cut the gap to 3-2 less than two minutes later.

The Patriots' Darius Clemons made a long run as he bolted down the field before assisting teammate Caleb Lee for a 4-2 lead late in the second quarter.

A rebound goal by Stevenson's Josh Lee 48 seconds into the third quarter boosted the lead to 5-2 before Fremd's Jack Wienke scored from the left point to cut the gap to 5-3.

Spina's second goal of the game made the score 6-3 only to see Fremd's Ryan Winklebleck come right back with a goal of his own.

Hynes' goal with a man advantage gave the Pats a 7-4 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Goals by Jaros and Wienke really put the heat on the Patriots with a slim 7-6 edge and still 7:51 to play. But Neela came up with 3 huge saves down the stretch to preserve the victory.

"In times like these you just have to stay calm, cool and collected and your training will take you from there," said Neela. "Our energy was insane tonight and they certainly gave us a scare in the end."