TEX BOYS: THSLL Playoffs: Cedar Park Upsets McNeil, 13-12

Senior middie Jared Lichtenburger scored the game-winning goal with 35 seconds remaining to give fifth-seeded Cedar Park a thrilling, come-from-behind, 13-12 upset victory over top-seeded McNeil in a Texas High School Lacrosse League Central District Division I semifinal Monday night.

Lichtenburger scored the go-ahead goal from about five yards to cap a furious rally, as the Timberwolves (9-8) erased a three-goal, fourth-quarter deficit by scoring the final four goals of the game.

With the victory, Cedar Park advanced to the Central District championship game in its first season as a Division I team. The Timberwolves will next face Bowie, which is making its first district title-game appearance in its second season in Division I.

The Central District championship game will be played Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m., CDT, at House Park in Austin.

In the regular season, Bowie beat Cedar Park, 7-2, on Feb. 5 and 15-12 on April 17.

“I think Bowie and Cedar Park match up real well,” Cedar Park head coach Chris Knight said. “I’m confident that our boys are going to be fired up for the game, and I know Bowie will be up for the game. So I’m real excited for Wednesday.”

On Monday, senior attackman Stephen Smith registered a team-high five points on two goals and three assists, senior attackman Chris Asher had four points on two goals and two assists and senior middie Ryan Fairclough scored three goals for Cedar Park.

Other multiple-point producers included Lichtenburger, who had three points on two goals and an assist, senior middie Gerard Stratton, who scored twice, and middies Nick Spier and Tanner Brown, both of whom scored once.

In defeat, senior attackman Ben King had a game-high seven points on two goals and five assists for McNeil (11-3), which had its six-game winning streak snapped.

McNeil led 12-9 at the end of the third quarter, but Cedar Park stormed back in the fourth. The Timberwolves trailed 12-11 late in regulation when Brown scored the equalizer with 1:05 to play.

After Lichtenburger’s go-ahead goal 30 seconds later, Cedar Park won the face-off but turned it over, giving McNeil one last shot to send the game into overtime. However, a last-gasp attempt sailed wide at the buzzer.

“We played through a lot of adversity,” Knight said. “With the swine-flu outbreak, it’s been (two) weeks since we played a game. We had several guys coming to practice, helping to keep everyone focused, and it helped tremendously tonight.”