WESTWOOD — Collin Almeida watched 40 goals fly into the net without scoring one.
But with the game on the line in the final seconds of yesterday’s fifth annual Boston Lax All-American Game, the sophomore midfielder from Falmouth got what he was looking for.
Almeida’s goal with 7.2 seconds left capped a fourth-quarter comeback and gave Team Stallion a 21-20 win over Team Surgeon at Xaverian Brothers’ Hawk Bowl.
“I was definitely stressing out that I didn’t get one yet,” Almeida said. “I was a little nervous. (The ball) rolled around and I saw that shot open and I just took it.”
To get to Almeida’s heroics, his team overcame a six-goal deficit in the final frame. Hingham’s Marc O’Rourke played an instrumental role with a team-high four goals and one assist.
“It’s a ton of fun to play with the best players in the state,” O’Rourke said. “Everybody’s got a really high IQ. Very skilled. It’s just an honor to be out here.”
Team Surgeon got great goaltending in the first half from Belmont Hill’s Danny Hincks (nine saves), but it was goalie Trevor van Leer of Lincoln-Sudbury who came away with the highlight-reel play of the game.
Midway through the third quarter, van Leer left his own net, streaked down field and deposited a shot for a goal.
“I knew that I wasn’t going to stop until I got close enough to take a shot,” said van Leer, who also made five saves and took a faceoff. “I took the shot, it went in and I scored my first career goal. It was awesome.”
At halftime, John Piatelli of St. Sebastian’s received the Boston Lax Bruce Lerch Player of the Year award, named after the longtime Herald reporter who passed away in December 2015 after a battle with cancer.
The Wrentham native will play at Cornell next year.
“I didn’t personally know Bruce Lerch, but I heard a lot about him,” said Piatelli, who tied the game at 20 for Team Surgeon with 58.3 seconds left. “I know he means a lot to the game. It’s a big honor to get that award.”
