Eagle Valley boys lacrosse defeats Fruita Monument 12-10

Peter Boyd jumpstarted the offense with three first-half scores and Julius Petersen piled on six in the second half as the Eagle Valley boys lacrosse team moved to 2-0 with a 12-10 win over Fruita Monument on Tuesday night in Gypsum.

Boyd kept his squad — fresh off a season-opening win over VMS last week — neck-and-neck with its 5A opponents throughout the first with his speed and vision. That is, until Ian Summers and Mason Compton caught fire for the Wildcats, who came into the game with an 0-1 mark after falling to Ralston Valley last Friday. Compton would score three straight of his own late, giving the visitors a 7-4 lead at the half.

In the second, it was the Julius Petersen show. The third of the Petersen lacrosse clan scored three times in the third quarter, tying the game at 7-7 with 5:40 remaining in the period. While the Devils controlled possession throughout the period, it was the tough play of Kyle Woodworth — who sacrificed his body on one critical third-quarter save — who preserved momentum with big stops on the few occasions the Wildcats got a look.

In the final minute, Boyd swung the ball to Declan Kelly, who wound up and fired a missile just inside the 25-yard line to give Eagle Valley it’s first lead, 8-7. Boyd made a nifty steal at midfield on the next possession and a three-on-one break nearly led to another goal, but goalie Brayden Schwettman was there.

Petersen continued his exploits in the fourth, winding his way around the perimeter of the offensive zone and behind the net before slipping a sneaky shot into the net to make it 9-7 two minutes and 45 seconds into the final quarter. Just one minute later, Fruita responded with a goal during a man-up advantage, but Petersen would not be denied. The senior put his team up by two with a long range shot from the side with 6:32 remaining and added a sixth shortly after. On the next possession, he needled a pass through three defenders; his Aaron Rodgers pass ultimately didn’t result in an assist, but Brady Blizzard was there to gather the rebound and bounce one in with a high-low jump shot to make it 12-8.

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Branson Padgett would notch a goal with 1:46 remaining — and the Wildcats tagged another in the final thirty seconds to make it closer — but the night belonged to Eagle Valley, which will look to go to 3-0 against Summit on Friday.