The Saints Boys Lacrosse team recently played their first home game of the season. Despite losing to Class AA Elmira, the team battled valiantly and held their own against a much bigger school.

 The first half of the game was a thriller and the two teams entered halftime with a tied score of 8 – 8. The two teams traded goals back and forth. Several attacks were halted by Seton’s remarkable defense and great plays were made on the offensive end by both teams. The Saints’ own John Ricci soared through the air to connect on four goals while goalie Julien Montalavo and the defense prevented even more.

Despite being overmatched in school size, the Saints used their grit and determination to stay in the game early. Communication and play execution was on point and the offense made quick and decisive plays to get clean shots at the goal. The boys scored eight goals in the first half as Ricci wasn’t the only one to score for the Saints. Atlas Boland had two goals, Rory Callahan contributed a goal, and Gabe Cawley added one as well.

 The team did a great job communicating and organizing attacks in the second half as well but unfortunately, the ball could not find the back of the goal. The 8 – 16 final score may lead you to assume that it was a bad game for the Saints. However, there were a lot of positive takeaways. For one, Elmira had a lot more players than the Saints which played a big role as the game progressed. More players meant more substitutions and rest for the Express’ players which was not a luxury that Seton had. There is a reason that the game was more competitive in the first half, and it is because of Elmira’s deeper roster. Fortunately, the Saints’ usual roster has more depth. The team was missing several players that game, including Junior Cash Vaughn and Junior Andrew Sara. When both teams had the same amount of energy, the Saints were very competitive. Although their home opener marked the first loss of the season, the team fought hard and showed great resolve.