Back-to-back defeats to Auburn and Oswego may have dampened the spirits of the East Syracuse Minoa boys lacrosse team, but it didn’t stay that way, partly because the fame of goalie Andrew Steigerwald went beyond local borders.
Tape of a diving save Steigerwald made against Oswego made it to ESPN and was featured last Tuesday night on “SportsCenter” and its “Top 10 plays” segment, a rare instance of national attention given to a play in high school lacrosse.
ESM received this dose of stardom just as it was getting back into the win column, topping Fulton 15-6 as Steigerwald managed 10 saves, many of them after the Spartans had built a 9-3 halftime lead.
Nate Jacobs had three goals and two assists, with Derrek Madonna adding two goals and three assists. David Neff (two goals, two assists) and Luke Rosaschi (one goal, three assists) had matching point totals as Lance Madonna got a goal and two assists. Dan Boland, Dillon May, Alex Recor, Chad Temple and Matt Thompson also found the net.
Now ESM moved on to Thursday’s game against the same Oswego side that beat them 10-9 in overtime seven days earlier. Back at home, and fueled for payback, the Spartans smashed the Buccaneers 16-5, gaining a first-quarter shutout and eventually building an 8-2 margin by halftime.
Refusing to let up for one second, ESM saw its brother tandem of Derrek and Lance Madonna each score three times, combining for five assists. Jacobs, Boland and Mark Willette got two goals apiece as Rosaschi had a goal and two assists. Recor, Neff and Joe Regan also found the net.
In Saturday’s 12-6 win over Central Square, ESM roared out to an 8-2 halftime edge, establishing its winning margin in the process. Rosaschi (three goals, two assists) and Derrek Madonna (two goals, two assists) led the push as Jacobs and Lance Madonna had their own two-goal outings. Neff, David Spencer and Robert Wolfe got single goals.
At no. 3 in the state Class C rankings behind Cold Spring Harbor and North Shore, Jamesville-DeWitt roared past Cazenovia 15-5 last Tuesday night, continuing the rough start for a Lakers side that dominated local small-school lacrosse for most of this decade, but was decimated by graduation losses from 2016.
It was 9-0 by halftime, and Cazenovia did not get on the board until late in the third quarter. Ryan Archer had three goals and four assists, with Griffin Cook (four goals) and Joe Kiesa (three goals) benefiting from Archer’s passes.
Jack Mulvihill wasn’t quiet, either, earning a goal and two assists. Four others – Pat Murad, Jake Socia, Casey Platenik and Matt Paul – had single goals, too, with Bennett Chirco stopping 13 of the 18 shots he faced.
Against LaFayette on Thursday night, J-D started slowly, tied 1-1 after one period, but took over in the second quarter of a 17-7 victory over the Lancers, outscoring them 6-2 in the pivotal second period and gradually adding to that margin the rest of the way.
Cook’s seven goals gave him 11 for the week as Archer had five assists to go with his trio of tallies. Kiesa, with three goals and three assists, was close behind as Adam Fontana earned two goals. Murad had two assists and Mulvihill got one goal and one assist. Andrew Barclay netted a goal and Jacob Rivasi gained an assist.
J-D rolled again on Saturday, going to Fairport (Section V) and beating the Red Raiders 16-8. Again, a fast start mattered as the Rams led 5-1 through one quarter, which protected it from Fairport’s mid-game surge.
During the second half, J-D outscored the Red Raiders 7-2, watching Archer pick up five goals and three assists as Kiesa scored four times. Cook had two goals and two assists as Mulvihill and Platenik also scored twice. Paul had the other goal and Fontana picked up an assist. Chirco again fared well, earning 14 saves.
Christian Brothers Academy suffered its second straight defeat last Tuesday, the state Class D no. 7-ranked Brothers following up its April 15 effort at West Genesee with a 12-11 loss to Iona Prep last Tuesday night.
Ben McCreary had a hand in most of CBA’s scoring plays, finishing with four goals and four assists. Mike Adornato and Augie Bonacci each scored twice, with Alex Calkins getting a goal and four assists. Mike Matteson and Patrick O’Brien also earned goals as Matt Vavonese recorded nine saves.
Now the Brothers took on undefeated, state Class C no. 10-ranked Homer Friday afternoon. With a 6-0 record, the Trojans provided a stern test, and like Iona Prep did, Homer beat CBA by a single goal, prevailing 12-11.
A strong first half saw the Brothers make plenty of inroads against Homer’s defense and steadily build an 8-4 advantage. However, the Trojans cut the margin to 8-6 by halftime and surged in the third quarter, going up 11-10 and setting up a tense finish.
All that CBA allowed in the fourth quarter was Tucker O’Donnell’s goal midway through the frame. Yet that proved enough as the Brothers only managed one goal in those last 12 minutes and saw other attempts stymied by Homer goalie Mike Turck, who had 15 saves, four more than Vavonese.
Offensively, CBA was well-balanced, as Matheson got three goals, with Calkins and McCreary each getting two goals and one assist. O’Brien had one goal and one assist as Bonacci, Adornato and Lynch Raby also found the net. For Homer, Vincent Basile had four goals, with Dante Yacavone adding three goals and one assist.
