The men’s lacrosse team entered spring break with a four-game winning streak, and this is not unusual for the team — last season, they started with an eight-game wining streak. However, their spring break trip to South Carolina brought with it their first season loss, 12-13 in overtime from DePauw University March 15.
Before the break, the Beacons dominated the field Saturday, March 8 with an 11-6 win against University of New England, followed by a 15-7 win Tuesday, March 11 against the Emmanuel College Saints.
March 8, the Beacons went in hard and fast, giving the Nor’easters no chance to retaliate. Freshman Jack Schartner opened the scoreboard for the Beacons, who was shortly followed by junior Caesar Hendricks. The final nail in the Nor’easters’ coffin came from graduate player Seth Libby a minute after Hendricks’ goal, giving the team a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.
The team led with the same direct pursuit in the second quarter as Schartner netted his second goal of the game, assisted by junior Duncan Youngclaus. Then, at 7:41, Schartner netted a third assisted by junior Carson Meczywor. This marked Schartner’s second hat trick of the season.
Finally, the Nor’easters were able to sneak a shot past sophomore goalie James Boldy. This was answered by senior Timothy Sullivan, who netted his first goal of the game. The Nor’easters were quick to respond, and the first half ended with a 6-2 Beacons lead.
The third quarter started with Schartner interrupting the Nor’easters’ short-lived momentum by netting his fourth goal of the game. Libby then followed through with his own hat trick for the team. Meczywor added the finishing touches with a goal of his own, giving the Beacons a 10-4 advantage over the Nor’easters.
The fourth quarter was much more relaxed, and the only goal came from Sullivan, leaving the team with an 11-6 victory.
“It definitely feels good stepping up into a bigger role this season,” Hendricks said. “I have been behind some great leaders in the past … Now, it’s my time.”
He added, “Still nowhere near where I want to be … Definitely some things to tighten up on. Overall, the team got the W today, so that always feels good.”
In contrast to their March 8 game, the team started slow March 11 against the Emmanuel College Saints. Eight minutes into the game, the Saints were able to secure a 1-0 lead. Schartner, seemingly put off, struggled to receive passes from his teammates at crucial positions.
But with 5 minutes and 17 seconds left, the Beacons found their momentum as Matt Hutchings leveled the field. The quarter ended with another Hutchings goal, which gave the team a 2-1 lead.
The second quarter started with the Saints scoring an equalizer. Their celebration was short-lived, and junior Adrian Fielosh reinstated the lead with his first goal of the season. A minute later, the Saints once again attempted to level with the Beacons. The Beacons did not let that happen — within 30 seconds, Schartner snuck a goal past the Saints, giving the team a 4-3 lead.
After this, Hutchings successfully completed yet another hat trick. This was followed by two consecutive goals by sophomore Jaden Cronin and junior Nolen Beauregard to finish off the second half. With some pushback, Libby opened up the score board for the Beacons in the third quarter, followed by Hutchings. They entered the fourth quarter with a 10-5 lead.
The fourth quarter saw new names hit the scoreboards. Hutchings started, but he was followed by freshman Tyler Hilgert, junior Ryan Steckman-Buck and Sullivan, which led to the 15-7 win. The Beacons won considerably more face-offs than the Saints, even though the turnovers weren’t exactly crisp for the Beacons.
Libby said, “It was a lot of fun to play today. A lot of guys stepped up, they got their first career goals.”
Echoing Hendricks, he added, “It’s great to be 4-0, but I don’t think we are anywhere near to where we want to be. … We have a few tough games coming up, and we still have a lot to prove.”
Over break, in addition to their March 15 loss, the Beacons faced Pfeiffer University, ending with a 12-8 win March 18. They played their final spring break match against Methodist University, which led to the whopping 26-6 win March 19.
The matchup against the Pfeiffer Falcons saw the Beacons come out fast and strong as they took to their offense. It all started with a Jack Schartner goal — the freshman who’s known for his hat tricks — followed by junior Matt Laverty. Just 10 seconds later, Tyler Hilgert netted his own goal. By the end of the first quarter, the score was 6-1.
In the second quarter, freshman Cole Allan gave the Beacons a 7-1 extended lead. Soon, the Falcons decided to spread their wings and went on an impressive four goal streak, but their 8-6 lead was short lived.
The Beacons cut their momentum short by netting three goals in the second half, courtesy of Patrick Carey, Caesar Hendricks and Nick Gualtieri. This extended the lead to 11-6, and Schartner finished the game with his second goal, securing a 12-6 win.
The team dominated the Monarchs of Methodist University in their last match of spring break. The Beacons followed the same strategy — they started hot with three consecutive goals from Hendricks, Matt Hutchings and Seth Libby. The first quarter ended with a 4-1 Beacons lead.
Schartner opened the second quarter with the first goal of his hat trick. The Monarchs responded with two consecutive goals, narrowing the gap to 6-3. The Beacons retaliated, and they entered the third quarter 10-3.
Shane Mcgonagle opened the quarter followed by goals from Carey, Duncan Youngclaus, Hutchings, Dale Wills and Timothy Sullivan. Schartner added the finishing touch with a goal at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter opener was netted by Wills, which was followed by David Oman and Matthew Konareski, who netted his first career goal. Patrick Dwinnells scored back-to-back, completing his second hat trick of the season. Willis completed his own hat trick by netting two consecutive goals. Nolan Beauregard then secured the Monarchs’ grave with a final goal, ending the Monarchs’ monarchy with a whopping 26-6.
After a productive spring break, the Beacons return home with two victories under their belt, despite losing their hopes of a record streak.
