SHP Takes Bay Lead
Sacred Heart Prep 9, Menlo-Atherton 5
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The Gators had plenty of motivational factors working in their favor. One, the Bears beat SHP 7-4 back on March 15. Two, it was the Gators’ senior day, and three, there was the chance to get a leg up in the race for the Bay Division title.
SHP channeled those emotions almost to perfection, as the Gators took a first period lead and never trailed in a 9-5 win.
“It was a great game,” said SHP coach Chris Rotelli. “We were at full strength. The first time (we played M-A) we didn’t have our leading offensive and defensive players. Overall, we played a lot better (this time around).”
Joe Sonsini and Jack Crockett each notched hat tricks for SHP (2-1 PAL Bay, 14-5 overall). Kevin Tinsley added a pair and Tommy Barnds rounded out the scoring for the Gators.
M-A (1-2) had five players score one goal each: Tommy Bohac, Chris Disibio, Devin Dundas, Jack Hansen, Andrew Ojeda and Jack Wolf.
“We made a couple mental mistakes on the defensive side,” said M-A coach Steven Kryger. “On the offensive side, we missed the cage a few too many times.”
The Gators wasted little time jumping out to the lead, finding the back of the net less than three minutes into the 12-minute first quarter. In a sign of things to come, Sonsini set up behind the goal, worked his way to the right side of the net before whipping a cross-body shot past M-A goaltender Cooper Waymire.
SHP spent most of the game setting up their attack from behind the M-A goal, using Sonsini and Jack Crockett to make a run to the front of the net and then make a pass to a cutting teammate or to the weakside of the goal.
“To beat them, we had to move the ball around,” Rotelli said. “We were patient and unselfish on offense.”
With under five minutes left in the opening period, the Gators doubled their lead to 2-0. Tinsley worked his way toward the goal from the wing before dropping a pass back to Crockett, who had filled the slot and fired it home.
But the Bears got right back into the game less than a minute later. Jack Hansen took a restart following a SHP penalty and walked in on goal, finally beating SHP goaltender Cody Weibe with 3:59 left in the period.
Weibe would end up with 12 saves on the day.
With 3:02 left, M-A’s Devin Dondas tied the score at 2 on a wrap-around goal.
SHP, however, snagged the momentum back before the end of the quarter when, with just over two minutes left, Thomas Wine found Sonsini with a cross-field pass, moving the ball from the left to right post where Sonsini buried a one-timer for a 3-2 SHP lead after one quarter.
“Momentum is a tricky thing,” Kryger said. “It comes and goes over the course of the game.”
SHP took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Bears 3-0 to lead 6-2 at halftime. Sonsini picked up his third goal of the game, crashing the weak-side right post and taking a feed from Wilson Weisel. The Gators increased their lead to 5-2 just over a minute later, when Ted Vought fed Crockett in front of the net for his second goal of the game. Barnds rounded out the first-half scoring when he took a pass on the wing from Crockett, shook his defender with a move that would make Steph Curry smile and buried his attempt.
“We gave them a few extra passes,” Kryger said.
Tinsley scored early in the third to up SHP’s lead to 7-2 before M-A finally broke a 22-minute scoreless drought when Disibio converted a Wolf pass for the Bears’ first goal since the first period.
The Gators got the goal back just before the end of the third, with Crockett getting his hat trick off an assist from Vought to give SHP an 8-3 lead going into the final period.
M-A finally found some creases and space in the SHP defense over the final 12 minutes, getting off 11 shots. But they could only manage two goals — one each from Ojeda and Wolf.
Tinsley capped the scoring for SHP with the play of the game. As he took the ball in from the wing, an M-A defender stepped up to check his progress. Tinsley spun off the contact, turning 360 degrees and whipped a shot past a stunned Waymire.
“They’re all sort of playoff games now,” said Rotelli, whose team will face rival Menlo School in next week’s season finale.
“I’m proud with how much we’ve improved.”
Back
Because the Peninsula Athletic League boys’ lacrosse Bay Division is comprised of only three teams — Menlo-Atherton, Menlo School and Sacred Heart Prep — the division champion is essentially decided in a four-game, three-way playoff series. When any of the teams face off, as when M-A made the short drive over to SHP Thursday afternoon, there is a playoff feel to the match.
The Gators had plenty of motivational factors working in their favor. One, the Bears beat SHP 7-4 back on March 15. Two, it was the Gators’ senior day, and three, there was the chance to get a leg up in the race for the Bay Division title.
SHP channeled those emotions almost to perfection, as the Gators took a first period lead and never trailed in a 9-5 win.
“It was a great game,” said SHP coach Chris Rotelli. “We were at full strength. The first time (we played M-A) we didn’t have our leading offensive and defensive players. Overall, we played a lot better (this time around).”
Joe Sonsini and Jack Crockett each notched hat tricks for SHP (2-1 PAL Bay, 14-5 overall). Kevin Tinsley added a pair and Tommy Barnds rounded out the scoring for the Gators.
M-A (1-2) had five players score one goal each: Tommy Bohac, Chris Disibio, Devin Dundas, Jack Hansen, Andrew Ojeda and Jack Wolf.
“We made a couple mental mistakes on the defensive side,” said M-A coach Steven Kryger. “On the offensive side, we missed the cage a few too many times.”
The Gators wasted little time jumping out to the lead, finding the back of the net less than three minutes into the 12-minute first quarter. In a sign of things to come, Sonsini set up behind the goal, worked his way to the right side of the net before whipping a cross-body shot past M-A goaltender Cooper Waymire.
SHP spent most of the game setting up their attack from behind the M-A goal, using Sonsini and Jack Crockett to make a run to the front of the net and then make a pass to a cutting teammate or to the weakside of the goal.
“To beat them, we had to move the ball around,” Rotelli said. “We were patient and unselfish on offense.”
With under five minutes left in the opening period, the Gators doubled their lead to 2-0. Tinsley worked his way toward the goal from the wing before dropping a pass back to Crockett, who had filled the slot and fired it home.
But the Bears got right back into the game less than a minute later. Jack Hansen took a restart following a SHP penalty and walked in on goal, finally beating SHP goaltender Cody Weibe with 3:59 left in the period.
Weibe would end up with 12 saves on the day.
With 3:02 left, M-A’s Devin Dondas tied the score at 2 on a wrap-around goal.
SHP, however, snagged the momentum back before the end of the quarter when, with just over two minutes left, Thomas Wine found Sonsini with a cross-field pass, moving the ball from the left to right post where Sonsini buried a one-timer for a 3-2 SHP lead after one quarter.
“Momentum is a tricky thing,” Kryger said. “It comes and goes over the course of the game.”
SHP took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Bears 3-0 to lead 6-2 at halftime. Sonsini picked up his third goal of the game, crashing the weak-side right post and taking a feed from Wilson Weisel. The Gators increased their lead to 5-2 just over a minute later, when Ted Vought fed Crockett in front of the net for his second goal of the game. Barnds rounded out the first-half scoring when he took a pass on the wing from Crockett, shook his defender with a move that would make Steph Curry smile and buried his attempt.
“We gave them a few extra passes,” Kryger said.
Tinsley scored early in the third to up SHP’s lead to 7-2 before M-A finally broke a 22-minute scoreless drought when Disibio converted a Wolf pass for the Bears’ first goal since the first period.
The Gators got the goal back just before the end of the third, with Crockett getting his hat trick off an assist from Vought to give SHP an 8-3 lead going into the final period.
M-A finally found some creases and space in the SHP defense over the final 12 minutes, getting off 11 shots. But they could only manage two goals — one each from Ojeda and Wolf.
Tinsley capped the scoring for SHP with the play of the game. As he took the ball in from the wing, an M-A defender stepped up to check his progress. Tinsley spun off the contact, turning 360 degrees and whipped a shot past a stunned Waymire.
“They’re all sort of playoff games now,” said Rotelli, whose team will face rival Menlo School in next week’s season finale.
“I’m proud with how much we’ve improved.”
Sacred Heart Schools Atherton
Founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, SHS is a Catholic, independent, co-ed day school for students in preschool through grade 12
