(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
COLORADO SPRINGS — At first glance, there didn’t seem to be anything special St. Mary’s beating Thompson Valley 8-3 in the first round of the Class 4A boys lacrosse tournament.
But beneath the surface, it was a record-setting night for the Pirate and one that they’ll look back on fondly.
The win was the first state playoff win in the 10-year history of the program. And to put icing on the cake, St. Mary’s goalie Dylan Tait recorded his 500th career save as he and the defense slowed down an Eagles offense that was scoring more than 10 goals a game.
“I just have to thank my defense, they played lights out,” Tait said. “We put Ben Stockelman on (Thompson Valley attacker Kale Wilson) because he was really their main offensive threat. Really great player actually, but one we blocked him off there was no offense and just kept pushing.”
The defensive effort from eighth-seeded St. Mary’s (12-4 overall) that was the most impressive part of the win, considering it was a relatively low-scoring game. The No. 9 Eagles (8-8) struck first when Wilson scored with about three and a half minutes left in the first quarter to give them a 1-0 lead.
With just under a minute to go, Wes Moran got the equalizer for the Pirates, shifting momentum back their way.
And did they ever take advantage of it.
The Pirates went on a scoring barrage, connecting on the next five goals of the game, with Moran getting three more. His four goals led all scorers.
“That’s the best game we’ve played all season,” Moran said. “We ran our plays, they worked and we got some really good looks and put them in the back of the net.”
Once the Pirates took a 5-1 lead, the Eagles seemed lost. They had started the game controlling the ball and patiently waiting for scoring opportunities.
But when playing from behind, Thompson Valley starting pushing things a bit too much, leading to errors and turnovers.
“We executed some of the things we wanted to do,” Eagles coach Will Cantwell said. “But we possessed the ball, they were ending with turnovers. Unforced turnovers. It was nothing (the Pirates) were doing, they were purely unforced.”
The Eagles finally connected on their second goal of the game with 4:25 left in the third quarter, but with the way the Pirates were defending, it was too late to mount a comeback. The Pirates would add two more and give one back to Thompson Valley, and the school was able to celebrate its first lacrosse playoff win in program history.
“I’m super excited for the kids and the program,” Pirates coach Ike Anderson said. “We’re a little school putting together a team that can not only get in the playoffs but get a home game and win it.”
Next up for the Pirates is the daunting task of taking on the No. 1 team in the bracket. The Dawson School advanced to the quarterfinals with a 17-2 win over Englewood. The celebration for the Pirates is a very welcome one, but unfortunately it needs to be short-lived.
“(We’ll enjoy this one) maybe tonight,” Tait said. “We have school tomorrow too, so we have to go to that and then keep grinding.”