There is an old saying that defense wins championships. After their 9-7, nail-biting victory over the St. Ignatius Wildcats at the University of Notre Dame, the Chaminade Flyers would probably agree, as the defense buckled down and kept the Wildcats from making up a four-goal deficit late in the game.

"The fact that our defense stood strong in a tight game comes from countless reps in practice," said Chaminade head coach Jack Moran. "A sign of a great team is that they can count on each other to score goals or lock down opponents when needed."

The Chaminade offense was electric in the opening half in South Bend, scoring seven goals to the Wildcats' three. The Flyers appeared primed to put up double-digits and seemed very close to putting the game out of reach. That was until they went dry out of halftime. Thus, it was the defense who stole the show and secured the win for the Crimson and Gold. 

The D was on point from the get-go, starting with Kieran Walsh '26, who was rock solid in net. The 32nd ranked player in the class of 2026 according to Inside Lacrosse made a multitude of terrific saves in the opening half, denying the Wildcats' Stuart Gates on good looks four separate times. These stops included one when Gates was wide open with time and room in the middle, as well as one from when he turned the corner from X right before halftime. 

Nearly all defensemen that stepped onto the field at Arlotta Stadium made major contributions, with Louis D'Agostino and Gavin Fitzpatrick leading the way with an aggressive playstyle that proved troublesome for the Wildcats' attackers. Fitzpatrick did some great work in the open field and nearly had a goal, while D'Agostino was strong with his rides and clears. Liam Trainor also stepped up big time for the Flyers. The junior was making his first career varsity start in the absence of Peter Gerbasi, and it seemed as if the Flyers did not miss a beat in the senior's absence. 

The second wave of defensemen played just as well. This included juniors Ryan Battaglia and Gavin Duran, who matched D'Agostino's physicality. Duran also nearly had a goal, but his shot whistled a tad over the crossbar. 

Finally, the Flyers' clearing game was tremendous, limiting extra opportunities for the Wildcats. Walsh was able to outlet passes out of the goal to both Brody Shapiro '26 and Ben Bekiers '26, two midfielders who excelled in this area. They used their speed and agility to zig-zag in and out of defenders to set up offensive possessions on the other side of midfield. 

This all culminated in a thrilling fourth quarter. The Chaminade offense struggled to find the back of the net, while the Wildcats kept plugging away at the deficit. At around the nine-minute mark, Walsh made a massive save on attackman Max Ripple, who shot from point-blank range. This save would prove to be one of the differences in the game, as the Wildcats eventually got within one thanks to goals by Ripple and Kodiak Haan. 

With 90 seconds remaining, the Wildcats had a chance to tie the game. Hunter Cristo cradled the ball at X, and he attempted to turn the corner and shoot, but he could not get it past the brick wall that was Walsh, as the goalie made the save off his shin to keep the Flyers in front. Not to be overshadowed on the play was Sean Connolly, whose tight coverage forced Cristo to shoot from an incredibly short angle. 

"We were able to pull it out and make a big stop at the end through being physical and communicative, which really defines our defense and why we are such a strong unit down on our side of the field," explained Walsh, who made 14 saves during the contest. 

"Our defense understood St. Ignatius's offensive game plan and their most dangerous offensive players," explained Moran. "We were able - for the most part - to limit them from playing the way they wanted."