Canfield and Poland met up Saturday in the first round of the Division II, Region 6 lacrosse tournament, and in their second contest since April 20, the Cardinals rode a four-goal performance from Nicolo Cocca to a 9-6 victory.

“We’re feeling pretty good,” Canfield coach Gordon Byrne said. “The team came off a little scare with COVID and coming off a long break like that, they had to get their legs and get back to it. They’re doing good, and now we’re looking forward to playing the next team. Anytime we play Poland or Boardman, it’s always a strong and heated match. They played a great game, and we’re looking forward to playing Chagrin Falls now.”

While the teams traded blows for 48 minutes, it was Poland that struck first, with senior Nate Scheck netting his first of three on the afternoon just three minutes into the game.

That was the last lead they held however, as Canfield’s Demar Clark scored to tie the game a few minutes later.

Staff photo / Brian Yauger Poland senior Nathan Scheck prepares to fire a shot on net. Scheck scored a hat trick for the Bulldogs and was a large part of helping the team rebuild after not fielding a team since 2018.

The Bulldogs and Cardinals went goal-for-goal in the first frame, ending in a 3-3 tie after one. Cocca was the lone second quarter goal, scoring his second of the afternoon to give Canfield a 4-3 edge at halftime.

Cocca, a sophomore, sparked the Cardinals in the second half, scoring a minute into the third quarter. That kind of explosiveness has Byrne excited of what’s to come with Cocca.

“Nicolo Cocca is a strong player,” Byrne said. “He’s a sophomore and he’s going to be an asset to the team coming up the next few years, and he played a great game.”

Even though the Cardinals pulled away at the end, for most of the game, the Bulldogs had an answer for pretty much anything Canfield threw at them.

Jacob Zura and Anthony Cordeck each scored for Poland in the fourth quarter, bringing the Bulldogs within a goal. Clark scored his second goal of the afternoon, however, to put Canfield back up by two goals. Cocca iced the game with 17 seconds remaining.

Staff photo / Brian Yauger Canfield’s Demar Clark winds up a shot during the first quarter of Saturday’s tournament win over Poland. Clark scored twice in the contest.

Poland coach Dennis Schweers couldn’t have asked for much more out of his team.

“Our boys battled all four quarters,” Schweers said. “They left it all on the field. They gave me everything they could.”

The Bulldogs end their season at 3-11. Poland’s senior class was essential in guiding the team through this season and laying a foundation for the team after the school didn’t field a team since 2018.

“Our program is just rebuilding again and those seniors have given me the base, the foundation to build this program forward,” Schweers said. “They were the coaches on the field for me. Anything I asked of them was done, I didn’t have to ask him twice. They took the young kids under their wings and taught them the game.”

To Byrne, the Cardinals (4-7) are just now starting to find their groove after a rocky start with multiple obstacles.

“I think our defense has been doing a great job against most of the teams out here this season,” Byrne said. “Our offense has struggled a little bit. We’ve had some injuries. We had senior Andrew DeRosa out for an injury early in the season, and it’s been a challenge trying to get the offense clicking, but they’re finally putting it together.”

They’ll need all their pieces together for the next match as the Cardinals’ next foe, Chagrin Falls, is the defending state champion. Canfield faces the Tigers at 7 p.m. on Monday.