Tuesday afternoon saw the Varsity Lacrosse Team open their home schedule against a conference power, the Barons of Blue Ridge. Traditionally this matchup has been a struggle for the Tigers, but Tuesday afternoon they were looking to change that pattern. The Tigers would draw first blood on the Barons 3 minutes into the contest as Attackman Cadet Chris Brunetti converted a long pass from goalie Cadet Adrian Roman to put the first points of the day on the board. Working with the momentum already established by the early goal the Tigers would strike a few minutes later on a solo effort by team captain Cadet Michael Sullivan. The Tigers would hold the 2-0 lead for the entire first quarter of play, however the Barons would not be held scoreless in the second period of play as they would get 5 unanswered goals by halftime.With the score 5-2 at half the Tigers once again struck first in the third quarter of play as Sullivan and Brunetti would connect for a quick score cutting the lead to two for the Barons. Senior Midfielder Cadet Stephen Chain would also find the goal in the third off a pass from Cadet Garrett Peterson. The Barons would only find the net once in the third stanza of play thanks to the strong defensive efforts of the Tigers. Brunetti would collect two more tallies in the goal column in the third quarter.
The Barons would regain the lead midway through the fourth off a defensive miscue by the Tigers. The Tigers would respond with a goal of their own as Brunetti converted a feeding pass from defender Cadet James Sullivan. Late in the fourth quarter Michael Sullivan would feed Brunetti on the crease for the Tigers final goal of the game. while the effort by the Tigers was outstanding all day, they came up short when time ran out as the win would go to Blue ridge 11-7.
Defensive performances could be found all day long for the Tigers, most notably was goaltender Cadet Adrian Roman who recorded 21 saves on the day and collected 1 assist. Long polesinclude Cadets Logan Mitchell, Luke Dewitt, James Sullivan and Russell Ferguson all had great showings and made many contributions both on defense and in transition play.
