WILMINGTON — Salesianum lacrosse turned up its caliber of opponent on April 5 when they welcomed Chaminade from Long Island, N.Y., to Abessinio Stadium. The Flyers, ranked ninth in the country by Inside Lacrosse magazine, scored nine of the final 10 goals on the way to a 16-7 win over the Sals.
Salesianum was ranked 19th in the country by Inside Lacrosse last week.
The Flyers got the ball at the start after a faceoff violation on the Sals, and it paid dividends just 23 seconds in. Sean Connolly started the scoring for Chaminade. Sals goalie Cam Taylor, however, made several stops in the first, as did his counterpart at the other end, Kieran Walsh.
Taylor and Walsh will meet again next season in college. Both are playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with Taylor headed to Duke and Walsh to Notre Dame.
The Sals got on the board with 7:33 left in the first on a low shot by Luca Pompeii (St. Mary of the Assumption Parish), and a few minutes later, Pompeii put the Sals on top, 3-2, before the Flyers scored the final two goals of the first.
It was a physical afternoon, and both teams had man-up opportunities late in the first period, but neither could take advantage. Neither team scored in the second until Mitch Cummings (St. John the Beloved Parish) rang a shot off the post and in after a long possession. That was the Sals’ lone goal of the second, as Walsh and his defense put up a wall. The Flyers scored three times in the final four minutes to take a 7-4 lead into halftime.
Two goals 11 seconds apart early in the third — one each by Drew Motta and Pompeii — got Salesianum back to within a goal, but the Flyers found their offense after that. They scored three time in less than a minute after the Sals’ goals, and once more late in the third. Pompeii picked up the Sals’ final goal with 6:05 left in the game, but Chaminade added five more in the closing minutes.
Statistics were not available late Sunday night. Pompeii had four of Salesianum’s goals. The Sals (3-1) are on the road Wednesday at Archmere at 4 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
