SCH stickmen face ANC Lions in home opener

Posted 4/1/19

Taking the ball around behind the cage, SCH junior Ethan Gyllenhaal (left) is checked by ANC’s Hunter Jaronski. (Photo by Tom Utescher)[/caption] by Tom Utescher The Academy of the New Church …

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SCH stickmen face ANC Lions in home opener

Posted

Taking the ball around behind the cage, SCH junior Ethan Gyllenhaal (left) is checked by ANC’s Hunter Jaronski. (Photo by Tom Utescher)[/caption]

by Tom Utescher

The Academy of the New Church arrived at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy with only 17 players dressed for last Tuesday’s non-league boys’ lacrosse game, but that proved to be enough for the Lions to overcome the host Blue Devils.

After SCH tied the match at 1-1 midway through the first quarter, the Lions went ahead in the second period to lead 3-2 at the half. The ANC offense gathered momentum in the second half and proceeded to a 9-4 victory.

The Blue Devils slipped to 1-2 in their early non-league schedule. They had opened up on March 16 with an 11-6 loss to Baltimore’s Archbishop Spalding High School in a game played at the alma mater of Head Coach Brian Dougherty, the University of Maryland. Back in this area, Springside Chestnut Hill pulled out a 7-6 victory at St. Joseph’s Prep on March 22.

For the Blue Devils’ home opener last Tuesday, the starting line-up included the three senior captains, midfielders Matt Bown and Jack Myers and goalkeeper Bern Popky.

Joining Bown and Myers in the first midfield line was junior Ben Tishgart, who transferred into SCH this year from Harriton High School. Another new 11th-grader, Ricky Amorim, actually transferred in from ANC.

He was starting on defense along with classmate Matt Ottilo and sophomore Mason Clemens. On attack were junior Ethan Gyllenhaal and sophomores Luke Neverosky and Fitz McLaughlin. McLaughlin is the brother of one of last year’s senior standouts for SCH, Mac McLaughlin.

Another sibling of a Class of ’18 player is C.J. Sweitzer’s brother Harry, a freshman who played on the second middie line with senior Will McHugh and junior Rex Leininger. In a departure from the line-up transcribed in the home scorebook, sophomore Conor Kilfeather and freshman Drew Bown (Matt’s brother) were on the field for the beginning of the game. C.J. Lynch, a junior, also saw a lot of playing time. After Hunter Jaronski gave ANC the early lead a little over a minute into the game, Gyllenhaal tied it up for SCH with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter, scoring from a difficult angle outside of the left post.

Junior Ben Tishgart of the Blue Devils (right) follows through on his shot as the ball zips past the head of visiting defenseman Weston Trautman. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

Round one ended with the score 1-1, and as the second period got underway New Church controlled the ball on attack in the early going. The Blue Devils’ Popky saved a shot at his feet about three minutes in, but the Lions soon had the ball again. Eventually, Springside Chestnut Hill called time-out with 6:33 to go in the first half.

Once play resumed, though, the visitors took the lead with 6:01 on the clock thanks to Jeb Brenfleck. At the other end, the attackers for the host team were having a tough time getting the ball past ANC keeper Griffin McGinley (10 saves).

He kept the goal sealed during several minutes of SCH ball possession, and once the visitors head back up the field again, they scored quickly in transition courtesy of Joey Paterno. It was now 3-1 with 2:28 remaining in the half, but after another time-out the Blue Devils were able to get back within one.

With a big windup out on the left wing, Leininger found the net with 1:54 on the clock, and the Devils were only down 3-2 at the break.

Just 90 seconds into the third quarter, the score had seesawed to 4-3, with ANC’s Brenfleck finding the top left corner and Gyllenhaal answering for the hosts with his second goal of the afternoon. Unfortunately for the home fans, SCH would not score again until late in the fourth period.

Paterno scored back-to-back goals to put the visitors up 6-3 at the three-quarter mark of the game, and then he notched his fourth goal of the game three minutes into the final stanza. Following an SCH time-out with five minutes left, Drew Carr scored the Lions’ eighth goal to make it 8-3 with 3:05 left to play.

Springside Chestnut Hill won the subsequent face-off and Matt Bown charged down the field to score with 2:55 remaining, aiming a nice bounce shot that caught the upper left corner. New Church would have the last word, however, as Brenfleck completed a hat track for a 9-4 final score.

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