Patriots fall in state semifinal

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Griffin Hughes’ second unassisted goal of the game brought Liberty within one, but Cleveland St. Ignatius scored with 22 seconds left to put the finishing touches on a 5-3 Division I boys lacrosse state semifinal win Wednesday at Wooster High School.

Hughes’ tally made it a 4-3 game with 5:56 to play. The Patriots secured possession with a chance to tie with 2:18 left, but a turnover near the one-minute mark all but ended things.

Neither team was able to muster up many scoring chances, let alone a goal, in what was a scoreless first quarter. Liberty hung tough early in the second, escaping a man-down situation unscathed thanks to a solid save from Skylar Wahlund, but St. Ignatius scored two goals in the final 1:35 of the half to take control.

The Wildcats made it 3-0 before Hughes got the Patriots on the board with 2:15 left in the third quarter. They added another early in the fourth to balloon the lead to 4-1, but Johnny Wiseman and Hughes scored goals less than two minutes apart to make it a one-goal game and set up the nip-and-tuck finish.

Staff Report

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