WILMINGTON — Saint Mark’s built an early lead in their boys lacrosse game at Tower Hill on May 4, then watched the Hillers battle back to force overtime. A faceoff win to start the extra session proved definitive, as the Spartans scored on the only possession 45 seconds in to take the 8-7 win.
The Hillers wasted little time opening the scoring, as Tate Poff converted a faceoff win less than a minute in. But an aggressive Spartans defense, coupled with some solid work by goalie Logan Gibbons, kept Tower from scoring again for more than 13 minutes.
In between, Saint Mark’s put five on the board, four of those in the first quarter. David Astfalk scored first, coming out from the X position behind the net to send a scoop shot past Hillers goalie Coale Crouch. Crouch was stellar most of the day in goal, and he stopped a few Spartans shots before Nate Hughes beat him with 7:09 to go in the first, putting the visitors on top.
Alex Salerni and Bruce Abbott added goals for Saint Mark’s, but Crouch limited the damage with two great saves in the final five seconds of the period.
Gibbons had a save at the outset of the second, followed by a man-up situation for the Spartans. They needed just 21 second with the personnel advantage before Dan Mitchell scored from straight away.
Tower’s Tommy Hanna and Saint Mark’s Reese Vanderslice traded goals before the Hillers made their move. An errant Spartans pass resulted in a goal for the Hillers’ Sully Keith with 5:45 left in the half, and Blake Erkenbrecher added another a minute and a half later to cut Saint Mark’s lead to 6-4 at the break.
Mitchell added his second of the day early in the third, but that would be the Spartans’ last tally in regulation. Poff beat Gibbons from 15 yards, the only other goal of the quarter.
Crouch and Gibbons kept the score low, but Tower began taking advantage of multiple ground ball wins. Poff went high for his hat trick with 5:25 left, cutting the Tower Hill deficit to one. The Spartans won the faceoff, but they could not take advantage, and the Hillers eventually regained possession. Hanna ended a long possession with a high shot, tying the game with 3:23 to go.
Gibbons made a fantastic save with 70 seconds left on the clock, and a final Spartans possession ended with a shot stopped by a Hillers defender.
Saint Mark’s went to work after winning the overtime faceoff. They worked the perimeter for about 30 seconds before Mitchell passed from the alley to Astfalk behind the net. Mitchell set up to Crouch’s right, took a return pass from Astfalk and fired the ball high over the goalie’s right shoulder, and the Spartans celebrated in the rain.
Mitchell was the lone Spartan to score more than one goal; he finished with three. Astfalk had four assists. Gibbons made eight saves. Saint Mark’s (10-2) finishes the regular season with three at home, beginning May 11 at 1 p.m. against Red Lion.
For the Hillers, Poff had three, and Hanna added a pair. Crouch stopped 19 shots. Tower Hill fell to 4-7 and hosts St. Andrew’s on May 6 at 4 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
