RED LION — Saint Mark’s boys lacrosse team pitched a shutout in the second half on the way to an 11-2 win over Red Lion on a drizzly May 12. The Spartans improved to 10-4 for the season, their highest regular-season win total since 2013, when they went 12-3 and advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament.
The game was tied, 1-1, after a quarter, but the Spartans took a two-goal lead with a pair of goals in a 73-second span. Luke Spoor scored on a rebound after a Saint Mark’s shot rang off a post, and after a save by Spartans goalie Thomas Stanley, David Astfalk ended a counter-attack by bouncing a shot under the Lions’ crossbar.
Red Lion answered with 5:11 to go in the half, but that would be their final tally of the day. The Lions gained some momentum after their goal, but Stanley helped his team with a few big saves.
Saint Mark’s had a few man-up opportunities during the third, and they capitalized on the second one, with Spoor getting the goal. Spoor scored again with the Spartans a man up with 4:42 remaining in the third, taking a pass from Dan Mitchell as he crossed in front of the Red Lion net and cashing in.
Spoor finished with three goals, and four players each had a pair: Astfalk, Mitchell, Connor Stockton and Reece Vanderslice. Stanley had 10 saves, and Logan Gibbons stopped four shots. Saint Mark’s finishes the regular season on Tuesday at Middletown at 6:30 p.m.
Red Lion (7-5) will visit Sussex Tech on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.