WILMINGTON — The Salesianum lacrosse team has taken on all comers this season, storming out to a 10-0 record with wins over several nationally ranked teams. On April 26, the Sals welcomed Lawrenceville (N.J.) to Abessinio Stadium, and the Big Red — the No. 2 team in the country according to Inside Lacrosse — scored on a man-up situation with 10 seconds left in overtime for a thrilling 9-8 win.
Salesianum is receiving national attention as well. The Sals entered the week as Inside Lacrosse’s 10th-ranked team.
It was an inauspicious start for the Sals. Lawrenceville came out attacking and scored twice in the first 85 seconds. But a violation on the Big Red on a faceoff gave the ball to the Sals, and they went to work. Rowyn Nurry got them on the board at the 9:19 mark, coming from behind the net and beating Lawrenceville goalie Tim Piacentini.
A steal by Braeden Korb a minute later set the Sals up in good position to tie, which they did. This time, Carson Robins fired a shot from a sharp angle inside the far post with 7:44 to go in the first.
The vociferous Salesianum student section didn’t have to wait long to get going again. Sals goalie Cam Taylor made three saves after the tying goal, and off the third one, the Sals launched a counter-attack. Mitch Cummings did the honors, shooting high past Piacentini to put the hosts on top.
Another Taylor save got the Sals going toward the end of the first quarter, and Nurry capitalized. He twisted and turned his way to the front of the net, then sent a scoop shot in. The lead was 4-2 after a quarter.
The Big Red needed just 18 seconds to take advantage of a man-up situation to open the second quarter. Hansen Peck scored to cut the deficit to one, and after the Big Red hit two posts, Michael Rooney got the equalizer.
The Sals did not have much in the way of possession during the quarter, and when they did, Piacentini made stops. At the other end, Taylor was every bit as good.
The Big Red scored another man-up goal three minutes into the third, and added another after the Sals committed a turnover about two minutes later. Lawrenceville killed off a Sallies man-up situation but scored on their own with 2:20 to go on a nifty one-timer by Peck.
Down three, the Sals regrouped. On their own man-up situation, Elliot Dotson potted a quick turnaround show from the side of the net with 50 seconds left in the quarter. A subsequent steal by Chase Cellucci led to a quick pass to Lucas Vahey, who spotted an open Nurry. With one second left in the third, Nurry whizzed a shot in.
Dotson continued the Sals’ scoring early in the fourth as the home team capitalized on a Big Red turnover. He tied the game, and the student section roared. But the joy was short-lived; a faceoff win for Lawrenceville led to a low liner from Alexander Swinnie put them back on top.
That was it for the goal scoring for nearly eight minutes, but the action continued. Taylor stopped several more shots, including one with his helmet. The Sals had a man-up situation but could not convert. They sent a few shots wide of the net.
Finally, with under two minutes on the clock, Nurry struck once more. He emerged from behind the net and shot high, beating the goalie to the short side. Taylor made one more save, this one with 12 seconds remaining, and the contest went into an extra session.
The Big Red won the faceoff to open the four-minute overtime, and they played the waiting game. Finally, one of their players saw and opening, but his shot smacked off a post. They kept possession, and thought they had the game won on a one-timer from just a few feet in front of Taylor. The Sals’ goalie, however, raised his stick for the sensational stop, and the Sals had a chance on offense.
They did get a shot, but it hit off a Big Red defenseman, and Lawrenceville got the ball back. A foul call on the Sals with 35 seconds left put the Big Red in a man-up situation, which had worked to their advantage all night. It did once more. They held the ball as the clock ticked down, and finally, Chris Matia beat Taylor to end it.
Salesianum (10-1) plays its final home game of the regular season on April 29 when IMG Academy (Fla.) visits Abessinio for a 6:30 p.m. start.
Photos by Mike Lang.
