CHAMPS! Flyers Lacrosse Takes 2013 Title

We had seen this before – 364 days ago to be exact – when Dylan Molloy had scored the winning goal for St. Anthony’s in the 2012 NSCHSAA lacrosse championship against Chaminade. Thursday night at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium he continued that goal-scoring streak, netting the first two in the 2013 championship game against the Flyers.

In 2012 we had seen Chaminade head coach Jack Moran walk off the field, felt his frustration, seen it in his face, visible only to the most observant and intuitive. We had seen the Friars walk off with their fourth-straight championship, equaling a run that Chaminade had strung together four years prior, equaling the number of championships with their arch-rival at 14 each. 
 
And we had seen the Flyers constantly putting up the same record, two wins against St. Anthony’s in the regular season, only to fall at the finish line in that third match. 

“After the past two years it’s definitely, we’ve had that in the back of our minds,” Chaminade senior attacker Ryan Lukacovic said.

In every game that Chaminade and St. Anthony’s played in the lacrosse pitch in the 2013 season, we saw it begin the same way – with a Friars goal and end in a Chaminade win. 
 
“We’ve been here before, we’re going to be fine,” Chaminade goalie Daniel Fowler said, experiencing his own case of déjà vu. “But, just try to stay calm, just have a short memory.”

Thursday night we saw something different. Thursday we had seen St. Anthony’s effectively neutralize Chaminade’s two main prongs of attack – Lukacovic and John McDaid – holding them to two total goals in the final match of their high school careers, only to witness midfielder Brian Pratt net a hat trick of his own, putting the Flyers up for good.

We had seen a first quarter that four goals – two on each side – and then treated to a defensive show in the second between Fowler and St. Anthony’s Anthony De Los Reyes in net.

And after the smoke cleared, after the 7-5 score was officially in the book, we saw Moran, carefully cradling one of the two NSCHSAA trophy plaques that had been handed to him by his MVP goalie.

“We were able to finally finish it here; best group of guys and to finally get it at the end and finish like this is great,” said Lukacovic, reflecting on his three years at the varsity level before heading to Virginia.

“I’m going to miss them,” the veteran coach of 34 years said of this 2013 team. “I’m not going to say they’re more special than anybody else, but this is a very special group; great character, great work ethic, great community service, great students, there’s nothing not to like about them.”

“It hasn’t really totally hit me yet because we’ve been working so hard all my brothers out here for so long, it’s just nice to finally get it to pay off in the end; it’s just great to get that final win against them,” Fowler said. “This year has been, for our class overall, a pretty incredible year.”

One the Flyers have been glad to see.

Chaminade Scoring Statistics
Player               Position        Goals       Assts
Brian Pratt         Midfielder            3              0
Ryan Lukacovic   Attacker            1              4
John McDaid       Midfielder           1              1
Carney Mahon    Midfielder           1              0
Tom Zenker        Midfielder           1              0

St. Anthony’s Scoring Statistics
Player               Position        Goals       Assts
Dylan Molloy       Attacker            2               1
JT Caputo           Midfielder           1              0
Drew Custance   Midfielder           1              0 
David Rivoir        Attacker            1              0
John Puckhaber  Midfielder          0               1

Chaminade Goalkeeping
Goalie                          Saves
Daniel Fowler                  10

St. Anthony’s Goalkeeping
Goalie                          Saves
Anthony De La Rosa        7
Jack Concannon             10