SUDBURY – Lincoln-Sudbury relied on its heavy hitters for strength Sunday, and received much more. Junior Brady Malo paced his team with a hat trick, while seniors Rex Friedholm, Nolan Martindale, Dante Venuto and Will Fosnot netted two goals apiece as the third-seeded Warriors punched a ticket to the Div. 1 boys lacrosse semifinals with an impressive 14-8 win over No. 6 Concord-Carlisle.
“Last two years, we’ve lost in the Elite Eight both rounds,” Malo said. “We had to battle this round. C-C, crosstown rivalry, so we had to bring it. It was a 12-4 game last time, we had some injuries. We had to battle through some adversity, but we did it. Now, we’re back to the Final Four. It feels great.”
The victory marks the first trip to the Final Four for Lincoln-Sudbury (15-4) since 2022. After falling behind 1-0 in the opening moments, the Warriors answered with force, as Venuto, Friedholm and Malo sniped consecutive goals in a span of about four minutes to make it a 3-1 contest.
Throughout the remainder of the first half, the two schools continued to trade goals. After Jason Swaim buried a shot for Concord-Carlisle (17-4) to cut its deficit to 4-3, Lincoln-Sudbury punched back with two tallies, both coming off the stick of Malo.
With 11 ticks to go in the second quarter, Friedholm scanned the defense, then fooled everybody with an over-the-shoulder pass to Malo, who fired home a wild shot as he tumbled past the net to give Lincoln-Sudbury a 6-3 lead at the break.
“I think Brady just threw a great backdoor cut, and I just flipped it to him,” said Friedholm. “I just kind of gave him the ball. He did the work, and he finished it.”
The momentum from the highlight-reel play carried into the second half, as the Warriors outscored the Patriots, 6-1, in the third quarter. Martindale opened the third quarter with a pair of goals. Then, after getting a chance to play an extended role, Fosnot added two more goals for Lincoln-Sudbury, sending his team into a frenzy.
“Seeing Will do that today was a big deal,” Lincoln-Sudbury coach Brian Vona said with emotion. “A kid who hasn’t played much, he comes to practice everyday, he drives himself. He goes through a lot, and it was great.”
Jason Swaim propelled Concord-Carlisle all day, registering a hat trick. Eric Palmer and Alex Fivek added two goals each for the Patriots.
“Hats off to Jon Smith,” Vona said of Concord-Carlisle’s staff afterward. “Tommy Dalicandro is one of my closest friends, he was my captain when I was in high school, and he is one of the finest guys you will ever meet. … Jon took over a really difficult situation, and he’s done it with class. They had a great season.”
When the game concluded, Vona tossed the game ball to Fosnot, as his teammates swarmed him in celebration.
The path to a state title only intensifies for Lincoln-Sudbury. Next up on the docket, a bout with the reigning champion, St. John’s Prep.
“Listen, Prep’s going to get our best,” Vona said. “That’s what they’re going to get. They’re going to get our best, we’re going to get their best, I’m certain of it. John (Pynchon) is a great coach. They’ll bring it.”
