If ever a “loss” proved satisfying in the long term, the Christian Brothers Academy boys lacrosse team found it when it took mighty Jamesville-DeWitt to overtime on April 6.
That 15-14 defeat, with its up-and-down style of play and neither side able to pull away in the latter stages, gave the Brothers a jolt of confidence that it used to win three times in a four-day span.
By far, the most difficult of those games came last Thursday night, the make up of a snowed-out April 2 game with LaFayette. Again, CBA was tied going into the fourth quarter, but this time pulled through as it outscored the Lancers 17-15.
Though 1-2, LaFayette had already gone through close calls in defeats to Cazenovia and Marcellus, and were determined to finish in front this time, even after the Brothers raced to a 5-3 first-quarter lead.
Over the course of the next two periods, the pace remained relentless. Eleven goals were scored in the second quarter as the Lancers pulled within 10-9 at the break, and though it slowed a bit at the start of the second half, LaFayette forged a 12-12 tie, led by Nate Beresovoy, who hurt the Brothers with seven goals on the night.
With both sides tiring, it was CBA that was able to fight back in front in the latter stages, again anchored by Cody Radziewicz, who had seven assists to go with his four goals.
Jack Jeschke took on a much larger role, matching Radziewicz’s four goals and adding three assists. Jack Zerillo scored three times, while J.R. Zazzara managed two goals and three assists. Andrew Romagnoli and Braedon Gait each had two goals and one assist.
CBA gave new head coach Ric Beardsley his first win at the helm last Tuesday in a 22-4 romp over Bishop Ludden. The Brothers were steady and productive all night, scoring 11 times in each half and getting four different hat tricks.
Radziewicz, with seven assists to go with his pair of goals, served as the catalyst. Sam Martin stepped up, too, with a career-best five goals and one assist. Zazzara, Romagnoli and Zerillo each scored three times, with Zazzara adding a pair of assists. Lincoln McGarrity contributed a pair of goals as Gait, Jeschke, Alex Brunner and Andre Dowdell had single goals.
And right after the thriller with LaFayette, the Brothers had a much easier time in Friday’s game against Onondaga, cruising past the Tigers 20-6.
Jeschke continued to surge, putting up a team-best five goals. Zazzara had four goals and one assist, with Radziewicz contributing three goals and three assists. Romagnoli scored twice and added a pair of assists as Brunner and Joe Kelley each got one goal and one assist. Sam Martin had the other goal.
On the same night that the boys Brothers outlasted LaFayette, the CBA girls side returned to action following a two-week hiatus, and showed its eagerness to get started again in a first-half blitz on Homer that led to a 19-4 victory over the Trojans.
Instead of possible rust from the long layoff, the Brothers instead jumped on Homer, amassing a 14-1 lead by the time they reached the half. More encouraging was the fact that 12 different players had notched a goal by game’s end.
Marisa Romeo still led the way, with four goals and two assists. Taylor Poplawski, Rachel Vercillo and Rachel Perla each finished with two goals and one assist, with Emily Ehle also scoring twice.
Olivia Pitonzo, Evie Lopoo, Katie Anderson and Hannah Werner all had matching totals of one goal and one assist, with Lilly Hunt, Adriana Fess and Maddie Cook scoring, too. Hailey Dobbins and Lexi Luthringer got credit for assists.
But when the Brothers took a trip to the Washington, D.C. area to face St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes on Saturday, it got tripped up in a 19-8 defeat to a team ranked in the nation’s top 10, according to laxpower.com. Romeo had five goals and one assist, while Poplawski scored three times and Ehle got a single goal.
