BY ANDREW GIERMAK/SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD
andrew.giermak@suffolknewsherald.com

SUFFOLK—Nansemond-Suffolk Academy’s boys lacrosse team split contests Thursday and Friday evenings to move to a 4-1 record, a better mark than what they had at this point last spring.

The Saints fell 10-9 in overtime to the Williamsburg Warriors, a Hampton Roads Lacrosse club team, Thursday night at NSA. The Saints rebounded 24 hours later to roll off seven straight goals in the second half and beat Kiski (Pa.) 10-2.

Matches on back-to-back nights makes five contests in 10 days, a very busy slate by lacrosse standards.

“It’s been tough but good,” said NSA head coach Tom Hostutler, who’s in his second season coaching the Saints.

The Warriors beat the Saints last season and Thursday’s match was down to the wire and then some.

Williamsburg led most of the match after answering an opening NSA goal, by Sam Rapoport, 0:47 into the match.

The Warriors got the next three strikes and kept NSA’s attack from forming.

Williamsburg led 5-4 at halftime and got the opening goal of the third period after the Saints turned away lots of shots, including three saves in short succession by freshman keeper Daniel Hotte, but couldn’t clear the danger.

Tucker Hotte, Daniel’s older brother, sparked NSA’s offense late against the Warriors. He finished 60 yards of sprinting, down the right sideline to behind the goal and around through the slot in front of the Warrior cage, with a goal on the run to tie the score 8-8 with 9:11 left in regulation.

Three minutes later, Rapoport, Jeff Ruland and Tucker Hotte went tic-tac-toe with the ball around the Warrior goal ending with Hotte putting a quick shot away for a 9-8 Saint lead.

Williamsburg answered at the 3:55 mark to make it 9-9 and the Warriors had all the chances for a go-ahead goal in the last couple minutes.

NSA survived playing 0:30 down two players and got the match to overtime. Another NSA penalty was too much to overcome in the OT and the Warriors struck with a man-up goal with 0:54 left.

Friday night’s match against the Pennsylvania visitors was tight until the fourth quarter. NSA steadily pulled away with tons of possession and good finishing when the shots opened up near the Kiski goal.

Ruland, Rapoport and Harris Howell led the attack with two goals each. Ryan Serianni, who also had a good game with faceoffs against Williamsburg, led the Saint effort in winning 13-of-15 faceoffs. Daniel Hotte made 19 saves versus Williamsburg and 10 versus Kiski.

NSA’s slate slows down slightly with the next date coming at Walsingham, for NSA’s Tidewater Conference opener, on Thursday.