The Pirates boy’s lacrosse team came into Friday’s BCSL contest with Holy Cross riding the high of the season’s first win, a 4-3 victory Tuesday over Williamstown. The Pirates could not match their efforts from Tuesday, falling 15-2 to the Lancers for a season sweep.
Cinnaminson had lost to the Lancers in the second game of the season by a 16-3 score. The Pirates have just one win in the brief history of the program over Holy Cross. It came by a 5-4 score in the 2015 season opener.
This was just the second season that Cinnaminson and Holy Cross played a home-and-home series. The Pirates are now 1-8 on the season.
“Our guys have a lot of potential. It’s all a learning experience. It’s in my mind, not an uncommon thing, when you’re trying to break out of that pattern of getting beat early in the season with young guys that it’s not uncommon that you do a roller coaster before you solidify the game,” head coach Craig Angelini said.
“We’ve gotta just keep plugging holes. I’m seeing a lot of improvements in practice and all over the place. Unfortunately, today, they were the better team.”
Holy Cross jumped out to a 3-0 lead less than six minutes into the game. The Lancers built a 7-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Pirates started Brian Burns in goal today, a freshman with no previous varsity experience, due to an illness.
“Brian got in there and he did what he needed to do to help us be competitive,” Angelini said. “He surely was not the reason that we played the way we played.”
“He was getting the job done enough to keep it competitive. The rest of the guys really needed to support him a little bit more and assist with clearing the ball and contesting some shots. I asked a lot of him today and he played.”
Burns was not the only freshman to see a lot of playing time today. Eddie Davilla has been a staple on defense since the season opener. JT Holt, Cole Wojkowski and Zach Artur have also played quite a bit on offense for the Pirates this year.
“The younger guys are doing a ton to help us. They’re really playing a key role this year and they’re gonna be the core in the years to come,” Angelini said.
“I feel like the more time I can get them on the field, the better player they’re going to become in the future. Sure, there’s a learning curve. It’s a very difficult thing to step in as a first-year varsity player and go up against these big guys and mentally overcome these things.”
Cinnaminson got on the board with 10:03 left in the second when junior Mike O’Brien hit paydirt. Holy Cross would score only once in the second to take an 8-1 lead into the break.
The Lancers picked up four more goals in the third to take a 12-1 lead into the final quarter.
O’Brien scored his second of the game with 10:21 to go in the fourth. Holy Cross added three more goals to finish with a 15-2 win, their ninth of the season (9-2).
“Michael’s a good shooter, he’s a good player,” Angelini said. “This is just his second game of the season after coming back from an injury. He’s still trying to find his game. If we can get him the ball and get him to pull the trigger, good things are going to happen.”
Cinnaminson returns to the field on Tuesday, April 26 at 3:45pm with a game at Winslow Township.
“I keep stressing that lacrosse is a microcosm of life. Things are not going to be fair. Things are going to be tough,” Angelini said.
“We’re going to have adversity. Positive things are going to happen. They’re getting it. It’s just not an easy thing to do. You never really lose until you quit. As long as you’re fighting, you’re still alive.”
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