Above – Alex Franco (right) throws a nice check on Granite Porcher Hagerty had PV playing defense for most of the first three minutes and a Hagerty possession ended with a hard Granite Porcher shot as he sprinted across the top to give Hagerty the lead to start the game.

PV won the next face and got a couple of shots quickly but Reno Bronson was able to turn them away.  Ponte Vedra showed patience on offense and kept the pressure on until Logan Taucher eventually found the net to tie it up. Hagerty came out strong in the first quarter.  They played very fast and hard and generated  some opportunities but could not get their shots on cage.  Eventually PV was able to back up an errant Hagerty shot to get the ball back. The Sharks were able to clear the ball and  Reid Smith and Miles Silva both had shots but neither could find the cage and Hagerty picked up a rebound.  PV got the ball back on a turnover and  Miles Silva would find the goal to give PV a 2-1 lead with 3:10 left in the quarter. Play was fast and went end to end several times until Reid Smith found the net and finished on transition giving PV a 3-1 lead with time running low in the first quarter.  Much of the first quarter was played between the boxes as both teams were riding hard and playing high pressure defense. Hagerty was able to get the first possession of the second quarter and they did get good ball movement but just cold not find  find the goal.  The PV defense was able to keep the ball out on the perimeter most of the time. Hagerty scooped up a ground ball and just pushed down the middle.  Corey Schulte with a nice bouncer that snuck under  the cross bar to make it 3-2. Hagerty was keeping the game close at this point through athleticism and determination.  They were getting a ton of pressure on the PV attackers provoking some bad decisions and forced passes. Ponte Vedra’s Reid Smith answered back, however, with a move from just below GLE and a low underhand finish that we saw work so well for him against Winter Park. Logan Taucher then made it 5-2 with a high to high ripper from way outside and you could see Hagerty begin to slow a little bit at this point and Ponte Vedra began to find the groove. Miles Silva took a pass across the crease and went around the world for his second goal of the game to make it 6-1. Ryan Wieley made it 7-2 with 3:18 on the clock. Eric Applegate makes it 8-2 with :19 left on the clock. Coming out of a Ponte Vedra time out with 9 seconds left in the half Logan Taucher got the ball, hit the alley, and made it 9-2 as time expired.  A dominant second quarter put the game nearly out of reach. Ponte Vedra kept it going as the second half got underway with a quick goal from Ryan Weiley to give the Sharks an 8 goal advantage. Ryan Wieley took a shot that just missed and Reid Smith snagged it as it scooted past him behind the goal.  He pushed it up field, turned the corner, and found the net to make it 11-2. The Huskies hung in there scoring an EMO goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 11-3.  But by this time PV was well in control and the hustle and determination that had helped Hagerty stay close for the first quarter and a half had faded. Miles Silva returned the favor and scored quickly to maintain the 9 goal advantage for PV. He did it again less than a minute alter with another around the world shot to give PV a ten goal advantage. Miles Sivla scored the 14th goal of the game for PV on a nice cut through the middle and a very athletic shot. PV quickly added another to give them a twelve goal lead and put the clock in the running clock mode. (Maybe Ryan Wieley) Chris Carpenter made it 15-4 to get the clock back into the stop clock mode.  It was a great underhand shot lefty that beat Colin low and away. Logan Taucher hit another one to put the clock back into running time 16-4 and that is how the game would end.  Hagerty didn’t have the number of weapons that PV did but they really showed a ton of heart and came out fired up.  After the game PV coach Tom West commented, “We expected that.  We know that everyone we play is going to come out with their best game and we just have to be ready for that.” This game reminded me of an MMA fight were the underdog just comes out blazing and the champions has to hang on a weather the storm.  PV did just that and although they looked like they might be in trouble in the first few minutes they stuck to their game plan and weathered the storm.