Ben Redlener’s first-half hat trick helps Andover boys’ lacrosse get early jump on Framingham - The Boston Globe

ANDOVER — Ben Redlener felt the energy well before the opening faceoff.

What started as a highly motivated Andover locker room quickly turned into seven unanswered goals in the first half, as the 11th-seeded Warriors soared to a 14-6 win over No. 22 Framingham in the first round of the Division 1 boys’ lacrosse tournament.

Redlener, a senior attack, scored a first-half hat trick as a key part of the early surge.

“From right when we got into the building, we were rowdy in the locker room,” said Redlener, who added a pair of assists and forced three turnovers. “Everyone was getting hyped up. I think that’s a huge factor going into a big game like this.”

Andover will face No. 6 Lincoln-Sudbury in the Round of 16.

The Golden Warriors (12-5) took a 2-1 lead in the first quarter, then dominated for the next 10 minutes. Redlener scored his second goal of the game late in the first quarter, then Andover scored the first six goals of the second — all before the halfway mark.

Andover’s combination of a relentless attack, smothering defense, and turning ground balls into scoring opportunities in transition left the Flyers (10-8) without much space to operate early.

“I thought we played fast and played in transition really well,” said Andover assistant coach Sean Black, the team’s offensive coordinator. “Definitely in sixes, I think we can improve, but I thought we played really well.”

Even after the Flyers took momentum into the half with two quick goals, a dominant 3-0 third quarter from Andover reestablished a foothold.

Senior midfielder Ryan Magner also scored three goals, and junior captain Mac Gobiel scored a goal, supplied three assists, and recovered four ground balls. As a team, Andover scooped up 38 ground balls.

“That’s what wins games, and we came up with a lot of them today,” Redlener said. “We had a big emphasis on riding clears in practice all week, and I think we executed it well today.”

Senior goalie Finn Beams made nine saves for Andover, and sophomore midfielder Jack Cooper scored twice and picked up four ground balls. Seniors Bill Neiberger and John Yerardi scored two goals apiece for Framingham.

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