Boys lacrosse: New Trier denies St. Viator in state semifinals
St. Viator's boys lacrosse team got turned over by New Trier 8-1 in the semifinals of the high school A-series state playoffs Wednesday in Northfield.
St. Viator, which knocked off the Trevians 9-7 just over two weeks ago, had trouble getting its offense in gear. The Lions turned the ball over 8 times in the first quarter and never were able to recover.
St. Viator (18-4), which finished third in the state last year, will claim another third-place finish after the loss to the two-time defending champion Trevians.
The Lions were hoping to break through to the finals for the first time. But a playoff-laden New Trier just wouldn't budge. St. Viator also missed top attacker Charlie Trunk, who was in the sidelines on crutches.
"It was a tough day," St. Viator coach Bill Sanford said. "Give New Trier credit, they know how to play in these games.
"It is all about possessions and making good choices. We started out of the gate rushing some choices and we didn't take care of the ball very much and dug ourselves a hole."
New Trier struck twice in the first period thanks to a Viator penalty and turnover to lead 2-0.
The Lions were able to get back into the game on a one-man advantage early in the second period. Caleb DiMaria took a feed from Jake Stepuszek on the left side and blew the ball into the net to cut the lead to 2-1.
"I was on the backside and saw the ball coming," said DiMaria, who is a sophomore. "I took the stick and put it right in. We had to get more off. But all we could do was keep trying."
The Trevians scored before the end of the half and early in the third quarter to lead 4-1.
The Lions defense, led by Kevin Murphy, Wyatt Rich, Elijah Black, Kyle Pearce, Drake Imhoff and Joseph Hynes, did a great job of keeping New Trier on the perimeter. And when the Trevians were able to slip by, goalkeeper Peter Schmidt was able to turn them away.
Schmidt, an all-state goalie, showed why he was chosen, continually stoning the Trevians and keeping the struggling Lions in the game.
"I was just trying to lead the boys out there," said Schmidt, who is a two-time captain of the squad. "It has been my goal since I was a freshman to get to the state title game. Unfortunately it didn't just work out that way. But I love all the guys on my team."
The Lions, who had difficulty maneuvering inside of the larger New Trier defenders, got the ball inside late in the third quarter. But the New Trier goalie made a stop of his own, to keep the Trevians on top.
St. Viator had a golden opportunity to climb back into the game at the start of the fourth quarter when New Trier was short-handed for two minutes on a major penalty. But the Lions managed just one shot and turned the ball over twice in that span.
"It is so important that all 10 guys get on the same page," Sanford said. "When one facet of the game is not connecting with the other, your offense isn't going to do very much."
With the Lions taking extra chances in attempt to gain the ball, the Trevians took advantage down the stretch to score 4 more times to put the game away.
Murphy, who also is an all-stater and will play at Salisbury University, next season said he had a great experience playing for the Lions for four years.
"It has been absolutely incredible," Murphy said. "I have been able to play with my best friends and my brother. What gets me is that I will never be able to play with them again."
Sanford said that although the loss was disappointing, he is proud of the way his team competed all year.
"We had a great season," said Sanford, whose team team only suffered losses in state to state finalists Loyola and New Trier while winning the East Suburban Catholic title. "Our seniors were great and will all be missed. But we look forward to building off of what we have done this year."