Mount St. Michael’s season may finally be firmly back on track after an inconsistent season thus far; at least coach Joe Capalbo hopes so.
“The guys have been getting fed up about losing and so have I, this game was everything today,” he said. “This is our second straight win after losing three in a row, which followed a three-game winning streak, so this win is huge.”
Led by Ty Davis’ two first half goals, Mount St Michael,the defending league champions, defeated Xaverian 5-2 on Thursday at the Aviator Sports Complex. They grabbed a firm hold on third place behind undefeated Stepinac and Farrell in the NYCHSAA Class A boys lacrosse league. Mount was dominant in terms of ball control and intensity from the opening faceoff, and seeing his team “step up to the occasion” couldn’t have pleased Capalbo anymore.
“We’re the away team against a tough team and I knew it would be a tough game; a tight game,” a relieved Capalbo said. “I’m so happy with these guys. We kept the intensity up all day and Ty really stepped up too.”
And step up the senior did.
With 3:41 remaining in the first quarter, Davis attacked from the right side of the goal and scored the first goal of the contest, capping off a first quarter that saw Mount St Michael control both the ball and the tempo of the game. After a Mike McBrien goal with 10:21 remaining in the second quarter made it 2-0 in the favor of the Mountaineers (4-1), Davis fired another shot past Xaverian goalie James Angelillo with 6:32 left in the first half, giving Mount Saint Michael a 3-0 lead heading into the half. Second half goals by Daniel Santos at 6:22 mark of the third quarter and Chris Fabian with 10:24 left in the game sealed the victory.
“It felt great scoring those goals, even though I took some big hits,” Davis laughed. “It was great to get the win though and it’s good to know I helped the team win.”
“It was exciting to get out to a quick lead for sure, it really pumped these guys up,” Capalbo added. “From there, we just played to hold the ball and kill clock. That worked and I’m extremely pleased with our defense.”
Smothering and consistent, the Mountaineers defense was able to hold Xaverian to a mere two goals while goalie Arben Gashi saved shot after shot. He gave up the two goals to John Monahan in the third quarter, but he was solid outside of that 90 second span. Not only was Gashi a key cog to Mount’s success against Xaverian (2-3), Capalbo views him as an integral part of the team’s future.
“He’s been our most consistent player for sure,” Capalbo said. “He’s kept us in games all year, whether it’s close like this or we need to hold the other team in order to catch up.”
The close defeat drops Xaverian to 4-7 overall on the season and their road only gets tougher from here, as they end their season with games against Fordham Prep, Cardinal Hayes, and St. Joseph’s By The Sea. Despite dropping the tight contest, coach Brian McNulty isn’t going to let his team get too discouraged.
“The guys have to realize that the season isn’t over,” he said. “Losses are supposed to hurt, but we need to have short memory.”