WILMINGTON — Salesianum scored six goals in a span of five minutes and 25 seconds in the third quarter to pull away from a tough Archmere squad for a 14-4 boys lacrosse win on April 10 at Abessinio Stadium.
Until the surge, the Auks had given the Sals everything they could handle on a pleasant evening under the lights at Abessinio. The game had a postseason feel.
The Auks did what they could to keep the ball out of the possession of the potent Sals offense. They held the ball for more than a minute the first time they got it, and their first shot rang off a post. Archmere also forced Salesianum goalie Cam Taylor to make a nice save on a wraparound shot to keep it scoreless a few minutes in.
The Sals got on the board first with 4:26 left in the first quarter. Ben Anton knocked the ball loose from an Auk, took it the other way and fed Carson Robins, who sent it in. Robins struck again with three minutes to go in the first. This time, he picked up a ground ball in front of Auks goalie Zidane Brena and went low.
As the first quarter wound down, the Auks had one last possession after forcing a Salesianum turnover. Colin Arcari crossed in front of Taylor and shot high, hitting the net with 26 seconds to go.
Archmere tied the game in the first minute of the second quarter. The Sals won the faceoff, but again the Auks forced a turnover, and Aidan Mahoney cashed in with a leaping turnaround shot. The Sals answered quickly. This time, Robins set up behind the Auks’ net and found Elliot Dotson for a goal.
That was it for the scoring for the next eight minutes. Both teams played physical defense, and the goalies came up with a number of quality stops. The Auks hit two posts during a man-up situation, and one Salesianum shot caromed off the helmet of Brena.
Finally, with Archmere facing a delayed penalty, the Sals added the final goal of the half. Robins again had the assist, finding Luca Pompeii, whose laser made it 4-2.
Brena and Taylor again stole the spotlight early in the third, stopping shot after shot. Finally, Drew Duncan brought the Auks to within a goal at the 7:23 mark, firing a shot off the inside of a post to make it 4-3.
The Sals responded in a big way. They had another man-up a minute after Duncan scored, and they took advantage when Dotson finished with a one-timer on Brena’s doorstep. Before the quarter ended, Rowyn Nurry scored while being hit, and Dotson added his third. Robins went off a post for his hat trick, and Pompeii added another. Nurry and Dotson finished the scoring in the quarter.
Final statistics were not available Thursday morning. Salesianum (8-0) plays the third of six straight at Abessinio on Saturday, when Cherokee (N.J.) visits for an 11 a.m. start. Archmere (2-4) visit Conrad on April 16 at 3:45 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
