Florida’s Finest: Benjamin’s Standouts in 15-9 Win at Gilman

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A longtime power in South Florida no stranger to in-state success in-state, No. 16 Benjamin School made a major splash on a national level earlier this month by pulling off an 8-7 upset of three-time defending MIAA champion McDonogh.<br><br> Less than two weeks later, head coach Peter Cordrey's Buccaneers made the trek to the Mid-Atlantic to test his team's mettle with Florida state playoffs coming up in a short time. Having topped Academy of the New Church (Pa.) 16-4 in a game that was played at the University of Delaware on Tuesday, Benjamin visited Gilman (Md.) on Thursday, and after going down 2-0 early, the Buccaneers' offense put together a highly impressive first quarter, continued to control the game throughout and went back to sunny Florida with a 15-9 win over the Greyhounds. According to Florida Lacrosse News founder Lee Roggenburg, it was the first known win for a Florida school at an MIAA school. <br><br>I was on-hand for Thursday's contest and came away with a few observations on Benjamin's top performers: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["14569"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e6f5f511594"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The dual-sport Brown commit was utterly dominant on Thursday afternoon against one of the MIAA's best face-off specialists. He won the game's first eight face-offs on a mix of clean wins out front and wins to his wings, plus a violation and procedural call against Gilman. With an athletic and sturdy 6'2, 220-pound frame matched with a powerful clamp and strong technique, he's adept at winning it out the front and is excellent with the ball in his stick, picking up a hockey assist on Benjamin's first goal and adding an assist later on in the first quarter. Expect Furshman to add stability to Brown's face-off unit once he arrives in Providence. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["126604"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e9bc0dd6398"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A lesser-known piece of the defense relative to Brown-bound teammate and Top 100 junior [player_tooltip player_id='45458' first='Jake' last='Ivancevic'], who has been highlighted by PL plenty, Gumbinner kept catching my attention for different reasons. He's big, athletic, and tough, showing a knack for sniffing out the ball and getting it moving upfield. He did a great job closing out on shots, barking out orders, and generally doing the little things well off-ball and on-ball. Along with Ivancevic and the rest of Benjamin's poles, Gumbinner handled the ball exceptionally well in transition and helped set up the offense time and time again. He was rock-solid in coverage, too, and kept miscues to a minimum. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["120106"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e9bc0dd6401"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A dynamic playmaker with excellent hands, Kelleher made a plethora of pretty plays while posting a hat trick in the decisive win over Gilman. The savvy lefty began his scoring campaign as part of Benjamin's sensational transition offense, accepting a cross-crease pass on the doorstep and then pulling off a nice little hitch to increase his angle upfield before the shot. On the other end, he caught his defender ball-watching and drifted away to space before unleashing a low-to-high over the goalie's shoulder. From there, Kelleher went low-to-high yet again from the wing, and also mixed in an assist earlier in the game. Having seen him on the club circuit, I'm a big fan of what he brings to the table and the spark he adds to any offense he's a part of. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["48391"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e9bd08bdc41"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">This past summer, Ponchock continued to make a name for himself in the club world, standing out with a Prime Time squad that was the best in the Class of 2025. This spring, he's been a force on the Bucs' attack, where he complements Vega and Kelleher exceptionally well. Whether he's providing a spark as a goal-scorer or as a feeder, Ponchock is always making high IQ plays and getting after it on the ride. He has soft hands inside, multiple release points, and the ability to make things happen both below and above the cage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["126601"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e9c4aff3e0e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sheehan and junior Campbell Hogan —&nbsp;a High Point commit who will almost certainly bump down to attack next year —&nbsp;both add a lot of pop to Benjamin's midfield unit. I'm not sure about Sheehan's measurables, but he's imposing, super athletic, and a constant problem for opposing defenses. His first contribution was drawing a slide and tossing a beautiful cross-crease pass to Vega, then later on in the first quarter, he put forth a nasty spin move and scored. As a shooter, the ball flies out of his stick with considerable velocity. In the middle of the second quarter, he sent a screamer flying off of the pipe. Set to join former Benjamin teammate Jack Regnery at Tufts, Sheehan was fantastic on Thursday and is sure to make a sizable impact at the Division III level. To say that he'll fit in with the Jumbos would be quite an understatement. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["126598"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e9c4aff3eae"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another Buc set to play two sports at Brown, Vega is an accomplished quarterback as well as a standout on the lacrosse field, where he plays attack but projects as a middie for the Bears. He's a gritty and hard-dodging offensive threat and athleticism, though I didn't feel like he was as explosive as usual playing on grass. Vega had a hand in Benjamin's first three scoring plays, feeding Ponchock, recording a hockey assist on a fast break, then finishing off a superb cross-crease pass from Sheehan after throwing a subtle fake. He had another excellent goal in the third quarter despite Gilman sliding to him, though he was able to fend off the defenders and finish with flair inside. He moves with fluidity and is always playing with his head up looking to make an impactful play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->