Before the Community School of Naples boys lacrosse team could settle in, Saint Andrew’s was already gone.
Long gone.
The Scots (20-3) handled business for the second time this season against the Seahawks, winning the state semifinal in Naples 15-4 to advance to the Class 1A title game against rival Benjamin on Saturday, May 9. It’s CSN’s biggest loss against an in-state foe since Benjamin won by 11 goals last season.
“We played very well against a very good team and an excellent goalie,” Saint Andrew’s coach Tony Seaman said. “We shot the ball really well, which made me really happy.”
Nick Testa and the Scots got off to a hot start, with the senior netting three of their six goals in the first quarter to take a 6-0 lead. CSN got one with under 10 seconds remaining in the frame on a cross-field pass from Pierce Szymanski to Cale Austin, who beat Theodore Loucas.
“They were better than us today,” CSN coach Keith Lee said. “They are a very good team, a force to be reckoned with. Wish them well. Hopefully, it’ll be a competitive game (on Saturday), but all the best to those guys. Wasn’t our day today.”
The Seahawks, which won north of 66 percent of their faceoffs in the first meeting against Saint Andrew’s, were below that clip on Thursday at 62 percent. Sloppy offensive zone turnovers plagued CSN early, leading to a multi-goal deficit that they weren’t coming back from with their style of play. Utah commit Isaac Lyon was unable to score from the faceoff circle, something Seaman valued a lot.
“The biggest surprise to me was that we dominated their faceoff guy,” Seaman said. “Our face off kid (Jackson Corlew) was unbelievable, and that kid has beaten him badly three years in a row. He just stepped up today and figured it out.”
The second quarter saw the Scots’ Xander Gerard force a turnover in the defensive third, going coast to coast down the middle of the field to score at the 10:53 mark of the second quarter. Testa found Cole Denton on a pretty feed in the middle of the CSN defense a few moments later, before Jack Stula’s goal at the 7:00 mark made it 9-1 going into halftime.
“Leading up in practice, we were practicing for this exact moment,” Stula said. “We played them earlier. It was a little close, too close for comfort. We put them away, practiced on what we needed to practice on, and it really showed in the game. We did amazing.”
After Eli Felzer beat his man and scored CSN’s second goal of the game, the Scots stole the momentum right back, just like they had done all game. Dominick Marzano and Denton scored seven seconds apart from one another to inch closer to the running clock heading into the fourth quarter.
“Twenty seniors,” Seaman said. “Twelve of them play a lot. A real lot. They’ve been with us for four years. It’s as good, probably as good a team talent-wise as I’ve ever had offensively. Three real good midfielders, nine guys that can really play. All the attackmen are outstanding. Six of them are going to Division I schools. I hope I’m here next year to talk to you about what’s left. It’s a big turnover, but it’s a great year, and we’ve been very good. We’ve played a lot of good people.”
That relentless effort and energy is something Saint Andrew’s will need heading into Saturday’s 1A final against the Buccaneers, which have lost twice to the Scots by two goals and eight goals during the regular season.
“One of the harder things in the world to do is to win a second time in the same season,” Seaman said. “To win three is really difficult. They’re outstanding and talented. The offense is very, very good. We have to play as good a defense as we can play.”
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: CSN boys lacrosse unable to slow Saint Andrew’s in Class 1A semifinal
Reporting by Alex Martin, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
