Delbarton Comes Up Clutch in 2OT to Stun St. Anthony's, 12-11

With the spring season in full swing, it was a great day for lacrosse on Tuesday in Morristown (N.J.), where Delbarton came into this matchup ranked 17th nationally. Hosting Long Island powerhouse St. Anthony's, ranked No. 2 nationally, the Friars came in with a clean 5-0 record after a few tight games, while the Green Wave came in 3-1 with a tough loss at the hands of No. 6 Brunswick (Conn.) earlier in the season.   The story for Delbarton in the first quarter could be summed up in one word: sloppy. Junior FOGO [player_tooltip player_id='25528' first='Christian' last='Troczynski'] (Cornell) had a great day at the X, but the offense was sputtering early with unforced errors and shots off the mark, but they stayed patient and got good looks, but couldn't connect. On the other side, the Friars were off and running from the first whistle as junior midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='17446' first='Jacob' last='Johnston'] (Johns Hopkins) grabbed the loose ball and took it himself just seconds into the contest. Johnston, along with fellow juniors [player_tooltip player_id='17521' first='Dylan' last='Harrigan'] (Maryland) and [player_tooltip player_id='45399' first='Danny' last='Rooney'] (Maryland) each scored later in the quarter to secure a four-goal lead, until Delbarton sophomore midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='121825' first='Brandon' last='Fodor'] took it himself with 18 seconds left to make it 4-1 after the first quarter.   Heading into the second quarter, Delbarton had been getting good looks, but the Friars' defensive unit — led by senior goaltender Dennis Brady (Lynn) along with classmates [player_tooltip player_id='14538' first='Parker' last='McDonald'] (North Carolina), [player_tooltip player_id='21150' first='Michael' last='Kelton'] (Army), and junior [player_tooltip player_id='17165' first='Ethan' last='Bramoff'] (Virginia) — had been working well as a unit and making it tough for their matchups to get clean looks. The Friars drew first blood with goals coming from juniors [player_tooltip player_id='16391' first='Charlie' last='Cacciabaudo'] (North Carolina) and Sean Ronayne to stretch the lead. Fodor answered back for the Green Wave, which got two more goals from junior attackman Chase Houser (High Point), and the momentum started to shift towards Delbarton before St. Anthony's senior [player_tooltip player_id='14540' first='Gary' last='Merrill'] (North Carolina) took charge and cashed in on an open chance with six seconds left in the half to make it 7-4 at the half.   After a delay of game in the third quarter against Delbarton, senior goaltender [player_tooltip player_id='127081' first='Tanner' last='Shimko'] (Johns Hopkins) came up with some good stops, one of which led to senior defender [player_tooltip player_id='14545' first='Will' last='Pedicano'] (Duke) initiating a fast break, which ended with senior [player_tooltip player_id='127092' first='Peter' last='Falk'] (Trinity) finding the back of the net. [player_tooltip player_id='127087' first='Gavin' last='Romweber'] (Middlebury) and Andrew Johnson (Williams) each added a tally as [player_tooltip player_id='125519' first='Philip' last='Minardo'] and Troczynski kept dominating the face-off X all afternoon. SA's Johnston and Delbarton's Fodor each completed their hat tricks late in the third quarter, and then Pedicano came up big to give Delbarton their first lead of the game with a last second goal from near the restraining line to end the quarter and put his home squad up 9-8 heading into crunch-time.   Johnston opened up the fourth, shaking free from his defender and find an open lane for a goal and then, man-up, Rooney found Ronayne on the backside for an easy step down look and his second goal of the afternoon. Minardo won the ensuing face-off which led to Falk answering right back for the Green Wave, along with senior [player_tooltip player_id='127095' first='Alex' last='Schobel'] (Babson). Shimko and Brady traded saves late in the fourth quarter with Delbarton up a goal and a few mental mistakes occurring for both teams. With time running out, Rooney connected with a cutting Johnston for the tying goal with a second remaining on the clock, forcing overtime with each team tied at 11 goals apiece.   Both defenses came up with big stops during the first overtime period to force a second extra frame, but in the end, Romweber found Schobel for a long-distance step-down rip to knock off the nation's No. 2 team and put the rest of the country on notice. Delbarton will host its in-state rival, Seton Hall Prep (3-1), on Saturday at noon, while St. Anthony's will look to rebound as the Friars head to Notre Dame for a neutral site affair against Valor Christian (Colo.) on Friday.    Fodor had a great game for the Green Wave, finishing with three goals and doing the work on his own, showing the ability to dodge and re-dodge his defender to get himself good looks at the cage. He facilitated the offense, penetrating the middle of the field and just missing on a few shots early. As a sophomore, he is an eye-opening player to watch and I only expect his production to rise as he gains experience at the varsity level against high-level competition.     Troczynski controlled the face-off X along with [player_tooltip player_id='125519' first='Philip' last='Minardo'], combining for 20 total wins, and didn't allow St. Anthony's to rattle them by throwing a few long-stick defenders at them at times. The Cornell commit made it look easy most of the day, winning the clamps and dictating how he wanted to play it. While he didn't push in transition like Minardo did, which resulted in an assist, Troczynski is a smart player who makes the right reads and doesn't force the ball into too many turnover situations.     Johnston was the catalyst of the Friars' offense right from the jump. He made an immediate impact from the wing on the opening face-off and then ended the fourth quarter with a goal on a last-second chance to tie the game. He finished with five goals, mainly doing it by beating his defenders 1v1 and creating chances for himself. He has also shown the ability to create without the ball, as two of his five goals came off assists on a cut from X. He'll need to continue producing at this pace as the road only gets tougher with the schedule St. Anthony's has this year.     Rooney created chances all day for his team, with his elite dodging ability paired with his vision to find open cutters. He finished with one goal and four assists, the lone goal coming early in the game off a backdoor cut to the crease. The Maryland commit shows good chemistry with his teammates and patience when dodging or looking for a shot. His effort on the field is noticeable and he works hard to help his team find ways to score in clutch moments like his assist to Johnston with almost no time remaining in the game.

With the spring season in full swing, it was a great day for lacrosse on Tuesday in Morristown (N.J.), where Delbarton came into this matchup ranked 17th nationally. Hosting Long Island powerhouse St. Anthony's, ranked No. 2 nationally, the Friars came in with a clean 5-0 record after a few tight games, while the Green Wave came in 3-1 with a tough loss at the hands of No. 6 Brunswick (Conn.) earlier in the season.