https://www.newstimes.com/highschool/article/Boys-lacrosse-Newtown-falls-to-Stepinac-12834880.php
Boys lacrosse: Newtown falls to Stepinac
Updated 7:27 pm, Saturday, April 14, 2018
NEWTOWN — For most of its game against New York opponent Stepinac, the Newtown boys lacrosse team proved it could go toe-to-toe and match goal-for-goal.
Unfortunately for the Nighthawks, an early hole was too much to overcome against an offensive juggernaut.
The Crusaders didn’t let up in the offensive zone, scoring 10 times in the first half to claim a 16-12 win over Newtown Saturday afternoon. The Nighthawks dropped to 4-2 with the defeat to the school from White Plains; Newtown is 4-0 against the SWC so far this season.
Newtown fell behind 8-3 in the second quarter as mistakes led to turnovers, which led to goals. Stepinac scored four straight goals during the stretch as the Nighthawks were stifled.
“I thought they did a they good job early winning faceoffs and having long possessions that got our kids tired out,” Newtown coach Scott Bulkley said. “If you get a tired defense out there sometimes you make mental mistakes that get you in trouble.”
The Nighthawks — despite fielding and getting contributions from several freshmen — refused to crumble and closed to within two goals on several occasions in the second half. Evan Eggleston scored with 3:37 left in the third to pull Newtown to within 11-10.
Layton Harrell led the Nighthawks with four goals while Tucker Garrity added a hat trick.
“I thought our effort was really good,” Bulkley said. “It’s tough when you fall behind and get close; that’s a testament to Stepinac, they kept stepping up when we got close.”
Stepinac had the final say, scoring three straight goals to seal the game as a pair of standouts carried the load on offense.
“Offensively I thought we played very well, defensively we did not,” Crusaders coach James Goldmann said. “I think our kids were tired a little bit and the effort was a little lackluster but hats off to Newtown because they didn’t stop.”
SKILL IN ATTACK
The Crusaders boasted several Division-I commits on the field, including sophomore Colin Sharkey (Vermont) and seniors Daniel Rodriguez (Sacred Heart) and Lonnie Jones (Hampton). Rodriguez dominated in the faceoff circle for Stepinac, which was coming off a 11-10 win over rival Scarsdale a day earlier.
“Our top six offensive players are very good,” Goldmann said. “They work well together; I think we’re clicking at the right time. They work hard for good shots and are unselfish; I think that showed today.”
Jones scored six goals while Sharkey scored four times and dished out three assists.
QUOTABLE
“It’s difficult when you win some of these games by 15 or 16 goals and come back and play a good team here, and then go back,” said Bulkley, referring to his team’s early-season schedule. “It’s tough to gauge where you are; we need to play teams like this to see where we are.”
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STEPINAC 16, NEWTOWN 12
STEPINAC 4 6 3 3 — 16
NEWTOWN 2 4 4 2 — 12
Records: Stepinac 5-2, Newtown 4-2. Scoring: S—Lonnie Jones 6g, 1a; Colin Sharkey 4g, 3a; Kevin McKenna 1g; Joey Carino 3g, 1a; Kevin Rafferty 1g, 1a; Danny Rodriguez 1a. N—Jeff Garrity 1g, 1a; Tucker Garrity 3g, 1a; Layton Harrell 4g; Evan Eggleston 2g; Brandon Manka 2g. Goalies: S—Tyler Rispoli (10 saves); Dylan Graff (0 saves); N—Jake Dandrea (9 saves).
