After starting the season 3-1, Chaminade closed out the month of March in frustrating fashion, narrowly falling to two of the top teams in the country, St. Anthony's and Don Bosco, by identical 11-9 scorelines. Although these dual defeats were sandwiched around a tough 7-6 road victory over Seton Hall Prep, the Flyers understand that much of the season still lies ahead.
"We could've been better as a unit," admitted senior captain John Balsamo. "But we're focused on great energy, improving each day, and moving forward. We've put this stretch behind us."
At Gold Star Stadium on March 25, Chaminade soared out of the gates against St. Anthony's, building a 5-2 advantage midway through the second quarter. Unfortunately for the Flyers, that's when the tables started to turn in favor of their South Huntington rivals. It felt like déjà vu from last year's championship game - one that saw St. Anthony's score six straight goals to begin the third quarter and overcome a three-goal halftime deficit en route to the league title.
This time, the Friars' spurt started in the second quarter, and they bettered their mark by one tally, netting seven unanswered to establish a commanding 9-5 edge.
North Carolina signee Charlie Cacciabaudo collected his second goal of the contest with 100 seconds to play in the first half, cutting Chaminade's halftime lead to two. Then, just four seconds into the third quarter, it was another future Tar Heel, Robbie Johnson, who potted a tally off the opening faceoff, drawing a penalty in the process. That extra-man opportunity would soon result in another St. Anthony's score, this time from sophomore Aidan Dale, to tie the game at five. The three-goal onslaught had occurred over just 2:06 of game time.
The Friars' seven-goal explosion came to a close when long pole Patrick Heron got involved on the offensive end to establish a four-goal advantage for the visitors. As the second half wore on, St. Anthony's locked down on defense, and Chaminade couldn't mount a comeback. When the fourth-quarter buzzer sounded, the Friars had notched their first win of the season, 11-9.
"They went on a run, and lacrosse is a game of runs," reflected Chaminade head coach Gregory Kay '98. "They got hot at the X, and we couldn't stop them there, which was a bleeding point. We thought we controlled other parts of the game in the first half, but when they got rolling, they were hard to stop. There is a reason why they are arguably the best team in the country."
Three days later, the Flyers traveled across the Hudson River for a battle with the Seton Hall Prep Pirates. In a tight fight, defense led the way for the Crimson and Gold. Behind 17 saves from senior goaltender Kieran Walsh, the Flyers pulled away from the Pirates in the final seconds, winning 7-6 thanks to a game-winning stop by Walsh as time expired.
"I made sure we had our defense extra prepared, as our offense was still figuring out its struggles. I got the defensive unit in a huddle and told them only to worry about us," said Walsh. "As the game went on, our defense played as a tight unit, which allowed me to make the saves I was making, leading to a team win."
"Kieran played great, especially in the second half," praised Kay. "Seton Hall Prep was a tough squad to play against. If they were not the best defensive team we have played so far, they sure were close to it. We had our work cut out for us, but Kieran kept us alive in the game with his performance."
Against that stifling Seton Hall Prep defense, the Crimson and Gold relied on six different goal scorers, providing enough offense to take home the win.
"It's everything to have six different goal scorers," said Kay. "If we are not working the ball, then we are not cohesive, and that is when our offense dies. But, when we are working it and everybody is getting something, then we look pretty good."
To end this three-game stretch, Chaminade took on another one of the Garden State's best teams, the Don Bosco Ironmen, on March 31 in New Jersey.
The Flyers found themselves down 3-1 after 12 minutes, largely due to the playmaking of Jason Koo, who assisted on all three goals for Don Bosco. In the second frame, the Ironmen continued to stretch their lead behind a high-powered offensive attack. After Chaminade cut the deficit to one, both Johnny Devir and Brady Kushner dusted defenders to score highlight-reel goals for Bosco, who led 6-3 at halftime.
In a low-scoring third quarter, the Ironmen continued to pad their cushion, leading by five after the frame. Despite the deficit, however, Chaminade wouldn't go down without a fight, one which was led by remarkable efforts of junior Hayden Sipress.
Taking his team on his shoulders, Sipress netted four fourth-quarter goals to steer the Flyers back into striking distance, cutting the Ironmen's lead to just one with 1:34 remaining.
After a crucial faceoff victory by senior George Mavlios, the Crimson and Gold called timeout to set up a play that could lead to the potential game-tying goal. Out of the timeout, the ball was placed in the stick of Balsamo, who drove around the left side of the cage.
As he dove towards the net, he lost his footing, giving defenseman Michael Marino an opportunity to poke for possession. With a series of checks, the Ironmen's defense forced the ball out of bounds off of Chaminade. On their ensuing possession, Don Bosco tallied an empty-netter to wrap an 11-9 victory.
"We just didn't play very well as a team. For three quarters, we didn't do things that Chaminade likes to pride itself on. We played poor team defense and stopped sharing the ball, which really hurt," said Kay. "Once we got it rolling in the fourth quarter, it was a little too late."
With a record of 4-3, the Flyers look to get back on track at home as they battle Salesianum (DE) on April 4 at 1:00 p.m. at Gold Star Stadium.
