CLAYMONT — Archmere’s boys lacrosse team has not had any problems scoring goals this season, so the goose egg on the scoreboard after one quarter on April 26 against Appoquinimink was a bit of a surprise. The Auks didn’t lack for chances; they just could not finish.
The scoring drought would come to an end 20 seconds into the second quarter, when Vince Scibello beat Appo goalkeeper Christopher Sullivan, finding a sliver of space between Sullivan’s right shoulder and the near post. That spurred an offensive outburst for Archmere, which would tally eight more before halftime on the way to a 15-1 victory.
Fifteen seconds after Scibello scored for the first time, he found the net again. The Auks won the draw, found Scibello, and he capitalized. It took another minute before Drew Duncan got on the board, with an assist to Scibello. That was made possible by the aggressive Auks checking game. They forced several ground balls, including the one that led to the third goal.
The Auks struck twice in quick succession later in the second. Alex Im made it 4-0, and Archmere won the ensuing draw and took it in for a goal by Daniel Kupiec with 7:56 left in the half. The goals kept coming, including two in the span of eight seconds in the final minute. Again, winning the faceoff was key, as Jack O’Neill scooped up the ball and ran straight down the middle of the field for the team’s ninth goal.
The prettiest score of the afternoon belonged to Kupiec. He ran out from behind the net a few minutes into the third quarter and whipped a backhanded shot high into the net as he was checked and sent sprawling on the turf. The Jaguars ended Conor France’s shutout bid with 4:10 to go in the third when Christian Towns found an opening upstairs.
France and Sullivan each made a number of quality stops, particularly in the first quarter. France was tested early, but was equal to the task. Sullivan was impressive as well. He made a stop on a point-blank shot by Kupiec while the Auks were a man up, then stoned Cole Fenice on a shorthanded bid toward the end of the period.
Kupiec finished with six goals, and Scibello added four. O’Neill had a pair. The Auks outshot the Jaguars, 37-18. France had 10 saves, and Gianni Bifferato added two more. Archmere improved to 6-1 and travels to Frederica on Friday for a meeting with Worcester Prep (Md.) at 4:30 p.m. at DE Turf.
Sullivan had eight saves for Appo (4-3). The Jags will attempt to end a two-game losing skid when they visit Mount Pleasant on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.