Northeast outlasts Annapolis in overtime | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

It's a shame Annapolis and Northeast had to meet in the semifinals of the Class 3A-2A East Region boys lacrosse tournament.

That's because the Panthers and Eagles played an exciting game worthy of the championship.

This intense contest had it all - wild momentum swings, clutch goals down the stretch by both sides, big hits and even a bit of controversy at the end. It might seem trite to say, but the truth is that neither team deserved to lose.

Senior attackman Mark Donahey put an end to the back-and-forth affair by scoring an extra-man goal a minute and 23 seconds into overtime to lift Northeast to a heart-stopping 11-10 victory over visiting Annapolis.

Senior attackman Corbin Voelker was another hero for Northeast, scoring the tying goal with nine seconds remaining in regulation and drawing a penalty in the process. Head coach Walt Blahut wisely elected to hold the ball in order to have possession and an extra man opportunity to open overtime, and the Eagles took advantage.

The penalty had actually expired and the teams were all even when senior midfielder Mike Tibbs found Donahey open on the left side for a point-blank shot on Annapolis keeper Josh Olienyk. It was the first game-winning goal of Donahey's career and he fell face forward onto the ground in disbelief.

"Annapolis played great in the fourth quarter and really took the wind out of our sails, but we keptfighting because we knew there was no tomorrow. We wanted to live to fight another day," said Donahey, who finished with two goals and an assist.

Junior attackman Donovan Lange scored four goals to lead third-seeded Northeast (11-5), which will play at No. 1 Kent Island tonight. Voelker finished with three goals and an assist for the Eagles, who are seeking a second straight trip to the state semifinals.

"We didn't want this to be our last game so we dug deep," Voelker said. "Watch out for Northeast. We are hungry for a state title."

Ten minutes after the final whistle, Annapolis head coach Dustin McConnaughhay was still upset about the unnecessary roughness call that gave Northeast the ball with a man advantage to start the extra session. Defenseman Sutton Mott appeared to hit Voelker just as he released the shot, but the official ruled it was late.

"That is a very questionable call in this type of game and that situation," McConnaughhay said.

Senior midfielder Cole Greene scored four goals to lead Annapolis (9-7), which mounted an impressive fourth-quarter comeback. Trailing 8-4 going into the final frame, the Panthers scored five unanswered goals to take a 9-8 lead. Attackmen Jake Wilhelm and Dan Kowalyshyn scored two goals apiece during the rally.

"When it was time to turn it on, our kids stepped it up. They wanted to win this game very badly and that was obvious from how hard they played in the fourth quarter," McConnaughhay said.

Kowalyshyn alertly scooped a loose ball in front of the net that resulted from a rebound and scored to give Annapolis its first lead with 3:33 remaining. Time was running out on host Northeast when senior midfielder Ron Hartman dodged and fired in a left-handed shot to tie the score at nine.

It appeared Annapolis would still escape with a come-from-behind win when Greene drove left from the restraining line and rifled a shot into the top corner of the net to make it 10-9. However, Voelker came up with a remarkably clutch goal, dodging a defender and absorbing the body blow from Mott to force overtime.

"Annapolis had a good game-plan," Blahut said. "They went with a 1-4-1 scheme on offense, which was different from the first time we played. (Greene) did a good job of dodging from up top and scoring a bunch of goals. We knew what they were doing, but we didn't get the slides in time."

Last night's game was eerily reminiscent of the regular season meeting between the teams. In that contest, Northeast mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback and wound up winning 9-8 on a goal with eight seconds remaining.

Tibbs, who is headed for Virginia Wesleyan along with Voelker, dished off three assists and played solid between the lines for Northeast. Keeper Pat Berry finished with 16 saves for the Eagles, who lost both the face-off (11-8) and ground ball (57-30) battles.

Annapolis (9-7) 3 0 1 6 0 - 10

Northeast (11-5) 3 1 4 2 1 - 11

GOALS: AN - Greene 4, Wilhelm 2, D. Kowalyshyn 2, Proulx, Sherger. NE - Lange 4, Voelker 3, Hartman 2, Donahey 2. ASSISTS: AN - Missle, Shackleford, Gehrdes. NE - Tibbs 3, Walker 2, Voelker, West, Donahey. SHOTS: AN - 35. NE - 27. SAVES: AN - Olienyk 8. NE - Berry 16. GROUND BALLS: AN - 57. NE - 30. FACEOFFS: AN - 11. NE - 8.