Auburn varsity lacrosse claws past Mtn Brook 19-17

Mountain Brook, AL – The Auburn High School Varsity Boys’ lacrosse team defeated the two-time defending state champion Mountain Brook Spartans 19-17 Saturday at Spartan Stadium .
 
The victory over the 5th ranked Spartans moved the Tigers to the top spot in this week’s PrepsNet Power rankings for the first time in program history. The loss dropped Mountain Brook to 5-4 in GBYLA play. 
 
The game was a thriller that saw 13 lead changes and seven ties throughout. The teams traded blows in the first half, but the powerhouse Spartans led the visitors from the Plains 9-6 at halftime. The 3rd quarter was a wild one, with Mountain Brook extending its lead over Auburn 11-7, but then Auburn reeled off four unanswered goals to tie the game 11 apiece and neither team showed any sign of flinching.
 
Mountain Brook then responded to Auburn’s 4-0 run and regained the lead late in the third quarter, but the experienced Auburn squad would not go away. Mountain Brook’s lead at the start of the 4th quarter was 16-13, but the Spartans could only muster one more goal for the day. Meanwhile, a trio of Auburn seniors scored five goals down the stretch to overtake the Spartans and keep the lead for good. Gabe Forthofer, Robb Fulghum and Joey McGinty combined for those five goals and Fulghum added another insurance goal with one minute remaining to close out the win for the Tigers.
 
 
Despite the high-scoring affair, Auburn goalie John Stanwick still notched 23 saves on the day. Other scoring for Auburn came from Preston Cole, Harrison Waid and Ryan Torres.
 
Defensively, Auburn only managed to cause six Mountain Brook turnovers, but did pick up 36 ground balls to help stymie Mountain Brook’s quick and aggressive offensive attack. Sam Snyder was Auburn’s individual ground-ball leader with six pick-ups.
 
Auburn returns home Saturday, April 10th to host 4th ranked Homewood (4-4) at 1:00 p.m.  The Tigers welcome the 2nd ranked Hoover Bucs (8-1) to the Plains on Sunday, April 11th at 4:00 p.m. in a game that is expected to pit the top two Alabama high school lacrosse squads. Both games will be played at Duck Samford Stadium. 
 
The Spartans close out the regular season with three road contests beginning with a trip to the Tennessee Valley to face-off against the No. 6 Huntsville High Panthers (6-3) Saturday, April 1oth.