Boys Lacrosse: Lucich, McGuire, suffocating defense lead No. 3 CBA past No. 4 Holmdel

MIDDLETOWN — After an 0-2 start to the season and a lukewarm performance while picking up their first win on Tuesday, Christian Brothers Academy head coach Dave Santos wanted to see his team – the defending Shore Conference champs – get back to playing up to their standard.

Wednesday’s Shore Conference American Division game versus Holmdel provided another opportunity against a quality opponent, and the Colts responded with a complete performance for a dominant victory.

Junior attackman Caden Lucich scored three goals and dished out two assists, senior attackman Carter McGuire registered a goal and four assists, and senior defensemen Quinn Kelly, Luke Krebs, Jackson Gervais, and Michael Poskay led a shutdown effort as the Colts, ranked No. 3 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10, rolled to a 12-2 victory over the No. 4 Hornets at Keane Field.

Freshman attackman Jackson Chaney posted a goal and three assists, sophomore attackman Turner Cooke tallied two goals and one assist, senior midfielder Davis Campbell scored twice, and freshman midfielder Daniel Varone had a goal and an assist. Kelly added a goal and freshman attackman Anthony Lembo scored his first varsity goal. Junior goalie Shayne Boresen started and made seven saves to earn the win before senior Luke Phillips played the second half and made six saves.

“Our last game (a 10-9 win over state-ranked Eastern) was very sloppy and we were undisciplined,” Santos said. “We wanted to clean things up and I think we did that today. We were very disciplined, we didn’t turn the ball over much, we rode very well and forced turnovers box to box, and we won a bunch of ground balls. Doing those little things will lead us to success later in the year.”

“Going into the season and having two hard losses against two very good teams (Westfield and St. Augustine) we kind of realized we needed to wake up, in a way,” Campbell said. “The win over Eastern was a close game against a very good team, but we felt like we needed to play how we usually did last year. We got together and had a team meeting and we analyzed what we could do better. One of the main things was to come out on fire today.”

The Colts did just that against a talented Holmdel team, opening a 4-0 lead after the first quarter and stretching their advantage to 7-1 at halftime. A five-goal third quarter forged a 12-1 cushion and put the game away. Campbell scored off a pass from Varone at 10:25 of the third to ignite a stretch in which CBA scored four goals in a span of just over three minutes. Kelly scored in transition off a pass from Chaney 31 seconds later, then Chaney scored off a setup from Cooke at 7:31. Off the ensuing face-off, the Colts won possession and Lucich finished off a quick passing play with a snipe from just above goal line extended. With 36 seconds left in the quarter, Cooke made it 12-1 off an assist from McGuire.

CBA has a 13-man senior class with eight of them either starting or playing significant roles. The leaders will need to lead and the great players will need to be great in order for the Colts to defend their conference title and make a deep run in the state playoffs, but equally as important will be the development of their underclassmen. The first four games have been encouraging from that perspective with Chaney second on the team with nine points, Cooke netting five goals, and Varone scoring four goals.

“We’ve kinda thrown them into the fire really because we need them,” Santos said. “They’re young and inexperienced but they’re talented.”

While they get up to speed, CBA’s senior class, especially its formidable defense that includes three Division 1 recruits in Kelly (Harvard), Krebs (Bryant), and Gervais (Air Force) will lead the way.

“On defense, we return a lot but we still have to prove ourselves every day and do the little things right,” Kelly said. “For the senior class, it’s all about being the best leaders we can on and off the field. From last year we saw a duty to help everybody out and lead by example. The guys last year set a perfect example and I think we’re just trying to fill their shoes.”

It’s been an eventful start to the season for CBA but the lights will only get brighter as we move deeper into spring. They face New York power Iona Prep on Saturday, square off with rival Rumson-Fair Haven next Saturday, and then head to Arizona for a pair of games in two weeks. The latter half of their schedule features games against New Canaan (CT), Haddonfield, Manasquan, Southern, Shore, and La Salle College High School (Pa.)

“Every time we get tested it’s more we learn and that’s a great thing for our freshmen and sophomores right up to our seniors,” Kelly said. “Doing that one percent more every day will build us up to have success in the future.”

 

Bob Badders can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @Bob_Badders and on Instagram @bob_badders