The 2-0 Men’s varsity lacrosse team took to their home field Wednesday night to face the Fighting Irish of Sacred Heart Prep. The first few minutes showed great defense on both sides until Sacred Heart jumped on top to score first. Dons attacker Griffin Rotundo then scored his first of three first half goals to tie the game at 1. A turnover by the Dons led to a quick goal by Sacred Heart, giving the fighting Irish a 2-1 lead. From this point on, the Dons’ defense tightened its grip while the offense caught fire. First, a strike by Dons’ Brody Darin followed by two more by Griffin Rotundo to round out his first half hat trick. 

The Dons’ ability to disrupt Sacred Heart’s offensive plays and force turnovers proved to be the key to their success. While continued strong play on offense led to a goal from Simon Appel just before half, giving the Dons a 5-2 advantage at the break.

As the game progressed into the second half, the Dons’ maintained good possession with the help of Ian Sanftner who won 12 of the 15 face offs for the game. The defense demonstrated good cohesion, effectively shutting down any attempts by Sacred Heart to regain momentum. Their disciplined play allowed the offense to capitalize with two more goals by Jan Korzeniowski in the third followed by a slick sophomore connection where Luke Dafferner assisted Caleb Mason for a goal to go up 8-2.

Goalie play by Val Grossi was particularly strong all night with 6 solid saves that kept the Fighting Irish at bay. One goal slipped by our defense in the last 90 seconds but it was too little too late for the Irish.

The final score of 8-3 was a testament to the Dons’ defensive strength and their ability to control the pace of the game and capitalize on offense. The Dons are 3-0 on the season headed into a tough matchup at Bishop O’Dowd Friday night in Oakland.

Way to go boys, keep it up!