All-star games are often viewed as offensive showcases. Little defense is played while the top scoring threats put themselves in one-on-one matchups to showcase their skills.
The Boys Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic looked the part in the first quarter Saturday night, with the South leading 6-5 through 15 minutes. But early in the second quarter the offense was dampened and the exhibition turned into a competitive game in which the North proved to be the dominant team, winning, 17-12.
The North team was first on the scoreboard just 22 seconds into the game. After a pass from Josh Dionne (Duke), Andrew Hodgson (Towson) shot from about 8 yards, beating South goalie Greg Dutton ( Ohio State).
Dutton, a recent graduate of Calvert Hall, still showed why he was selected to start. The All-Metro player made five saves, four in the second quarter, while showing his speed on several occasions. He picked up three ground balls and used a combination of spins and dodges as he raced to the other end of the field.
"I just like to get up the field and run," Dutton said. "I just used to throw fakes and stuff, but I guess I got a little speed now, so I like to use it."
But the North took advantage of the South's defense, going up 3-1 in the first four minutes. With the game appearing to slip away, the South closed out the last 7:30 of the first quarter on a 5-2 run, sparked by a goal by Tyler Frederick.
"There was a flag down, and I just let it fly," he said. "Luckily, it went in. We were pretty pumped, so it definitely gave us some momentum."
A midfielder from McDonogh who will be attending Ohio State, Frederick scored two goals during the game on six shots. His high school teammate and future college teammate, defenseman Joe Meurer, appeared in the game as well, picking up one ground ball.
The second quarter saw slow action after the South's Jim Marlatt scored in the fourth minute. The next score did not occur until there was 4:43 left, when the North's Eric Slingerland got the first goal in his team's 4-0 run to close the half.
"There was so much skill out on the field that you had to get used to it," Dutton said. "It was faster than any of us had ever seen before because there was so much talent on that field. We just regrouped [in the second quarter] and played better."
Dutton was replaced in the second half by Andrew O'Connell ( North Carolina). O'Connell and the defense started strong in the third quarter, allowing just one goal, but things fell apart for the South in the fourth.
The defensive unit was unable to stop a ferocious North attack led by three goals by Miles Thompson (Albany). And after scoring seven goals to four by the South, the North had the game under control.
Dutton's teammate from Calvert Hall, Tony Rossi (Stevenson), also appeared in the game. Rossi started on a faceoff unit that dominated the game, led by Liam O'Connor (Notre Dame). The unit won 21 of 33 tries, with O'Connor scooping 16 ground balls and scoring a goal just five seconds after one of his wins.
The North's Mark Cockerton (Virginia) was named the game's Most Valuable Player after scoring four goals, three of them unassisted.