St. Anne’s-Belfield’s boys lacrosse team knew it needed a little bit of a spark, to add something to their arsenal.
“Something we worked on coming into the week was a jump ride that we felt like we needed to have in place,” said STAB coach Bo Perriello.
That work in practice and that new weapon paid off with a tremendous defensive effort in the midfield that led to a rash of Woodberry Forest turnovers as the Saints, ranked fifth in VISAA Division I, picked up a 10-2 victory on the road.
STAB’s defense held the No. 8-ranked Tigers scoreless after the break, and turned a solid 5-2 halftime lead into the easy victory.
STAB held Woodberry’s top scoring threat Patrick Shea to just a single goal with defenders like Rob Schotta leading the suffocating effort. Eric Buhle finished with four saves as the Tigers managed just nine total shots on the afternoon. They got few opportunities either as turnover after turnover in the midfield cost them possession after possession.
“We’ve got 18 new faces on a 30 man roster so there are going to be some growing pains,” said Woodberry coach Brian Hemming. “That’s no excuse for turnovers, but I think it’s something we have to deal with. The effort is always there but it’s not always the cleanest lacrosse..”
STAB’s offense provided enough scoring punch to secure the victory, with Josh Reiss notching a hat trick to carry the bulk of the offense. The Saints’ offense fed off those turnovers as it opened up several chances that STAB wasn’t getting against Woodberry’s zone.
“Knowing how good their six-on-six defense was, we knew that we had to try and create some easy goals for ourselves today,” Perriello said.
Joe Robertson and Jack Schultz scored two goals each with Roberson also notching an assist. Phillip Robertson had two assists and a goal.
Javon Johnson and Brodie Phillips each scored too, with Johnson finishing with an assist.
Taulford Wharton finished with seven saves on the day after facing a barrage of 28 shots by the Saints.
STAB will take on Christchurch Monday afternoon while Woodberry will face Benedictine Tuesday.
