Offensive outburst powers Titans past Cougars

Matt Metcalf, Sports Editor
Posted 5/5/15

The Toll Gate boys’ lacrosse team entered Friday night’s game after losing two of its last three games, but it was able to bounce back in a big way.

The Titans dominated North Providence from …

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Offensive outburst powers Titans past Cougars

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The Toll Gate boys’ lacrosse team entered Friday night’s game after losing two of its last three games, but it was able to bounce back in a big way.

The Titans dominated North Providence from start to finish in a 16-0 victory, improving their record to 5-3.

Toll Gate hasn’t exactly been a model of consistency lately, but on Saturday, everyone contributed in the win.

“We haven’t been playing consistently,” Toll Gate head coach Mike Vadney said. “In the first six or seven minutes, we were really sloppy. That has kind of been the story of the season – we’ve had a lot of that. After that, we called a timeout, and once they started moving the ball around and started running offensive sets, we were much more successful.”

The Titans got off to a slow start, but goals from Jack Sullivan and Sean Vittum towards the end of the first quarter gave Toll Gate a 2-0 lead after the first 12 minutes of play.

In the second quarter, the Titans absolutely exploded, netting nine goals to increase their lead to 11-0.

In the second frame, Sullivan scored three goals, while Anthony Ottone netted two and Vittum, Andrew Zelano, Will Patenaude and Jarod Drury all scored a goal apiece.

Being up 11 at halftime isn’t always easy, as a team can be in a tough spot where it doesn’t want to embarrass the other team, but at the same time, has to get its work in.

If that team lets up at all, it can develop bad habits – something that Toll Gate can’t afford to develop at this point of the season.

“We told them ‘more, harder, faster,’” Vadney said of his message to his team at the half. “As long as you’re in the game, you’re playing hard. You’re in the game – keep working as hard as you can, as fast as you can.”

The Titans couldn’t keep up their torrid scoring pace from the first half in the second half, but they remained in complete control until the final buzzer.

Sullivan, Zelano and Ottone found twine in the third quarter, before Kyle Palumbo and Jake Moran added tallies in the final quarter.

Sullivan led the offensive outburst with five goals, while Ottone added three for the game.

In net, Cam Vickers didn’t see much action and wasn’t tested frequently, but was perfect whenever a shot was sent his way.

The Titans were at intra-city rival Pilgrim on Monday, but results were unavailable at press time.

On Wednesday, Toll Gate will remain in Warwick, when it plays at Vets at 3:30 p.m. The ’Canes, who sit at 4-3, are just a half game behind the Titans in the standings.

Vadney is hoping that his team can put the inconsistencies behind it and play its best lacrosse down the stretch, with the hopes of a deep playoff run in its future.

“It has been really inconsistent,” Vadney said. “We’ve played some of the better teams and have been in games, but we let them get away at the end. We can build on something like this. When they run the offense like that, we can create opportunities. If we limit our turnovers, I think that we have enough senior talent to be competitive at the end of the year.”

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