Busy Weekend for Boys’ Lax

-By: Darius Majd-

The Darien Blue Wave Boys’ lacrosse team started off the spring break with a busy weekend slate, beginning with a game in Albany Friday night. (4/9) The team traveled for three hours to beat the New York state finalists Niskayuna 9-2 at Union College. The Wave used a stifling defense to hold Niskayuna at bay, taking a 2-1 lead into halftime and a 4-1 lead into the fourth quarter. Senior captain Andrew West set the tone early, and finished with 15 saves, whilst the defense, anchored by senior captain George Benitez and juniors Eric Parnon and Baylis Treen, caused turnovers and created transition opportunities. The offense, led by attackmen sophomore Case Matheis (3 goals, 1 assist) and senior Brian Gleason (2 goals, 1 assist) capped things off with a five- goal fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Face-off specialist junior Brandon Coley (won 4 out of 5) was happy with the result: “It was a great game, and a big win over a solid team. I think we really improved over the course of the game and played well as a team,” Coley said.

The next day, (4/10) the team (except for a few unfortunate juniors taking the ACT after the late return home the previous night) traveled to the new Meadowlands Stadium to watch a college lacrosse tripleheader: Hofstra defeated Delaware 12-11; Virginia beat North Carolina 7-5; and Syracuse hammered Princeton 13-4. “The trip was a fun experience. We got to see the top four teams in the country play, and we witnessed the first event ever at the new Giants Stadium,” junior Justin Coley – twin brother of Brandon – said.

The lacrosse team returns to action next week with three games: Bridgeport Central (home – Tuesday), Brien McMahon (away – Thursday), and Conestoga (Saturday – neutral site). Photo: Seniors Alden Frelinghysen and Robbie Winter having fun at the Meadowlands.