Lawrenceville Dominates Calvert Hall 15–4 in Season Opener

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In one of the louder statements made this March, Lawrenceville — ranked No. 1 in several polls — opened its season in style with a 15-4 win at Calvert Hall, avenging its overtime loss from a year ago. <br><br>The story of the game was Lawrenceville's 10-man ride, which constantly made the Cardinals uncomfortable and forced them into 13 turnovers in the clearing game. As a result, Calvert Hall wasn't able to string together too many quality possessions, as the Hall only mustered 12 shots. <br><br>Lawrenceville got a plethora of big performances on the offensive end, led by 4g/3a from [player_tooltip player_id='16729' first='Jake' last='Sturtevant'], a hat trick from [player_tooltip player_id='36028' first='Harrison' last='Tyler'], 3g/2a from [player_tooltip player_id='143260' first='Ayden' last='Matthews'], and 3g/2a from [player_tooltip player_id='16721' first='Malcolm' last='Richardson']. <br><br>Here's a quick breakdown of five standout individual performances from the Big Red: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["169220"],"_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-69beab607edc6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">It's borderline unfair that Lawrenceville not only has a 10-man ride that can force double-digit turnovers in one game, but also a face-off specialist who can win draws in bunches like Dillmeier can. Just a freshman, the Manhasset (N.Y.) native took all but a handful of draws with Colgate commit Aedan Bishai sidelined due to injury, and he had tremendous success. He won 6-of-10 in the first half and allowed the Big Red to slowly squeeze the life out of Calvert Hall and keep the ball out of the Cardinals' hands. His hand speed is off-the-charts, and even on the occasions that he lost the clamp, he often came up with the groundball. Overall, he possesses a level of poise and face-off IQ that's beyond his years, and Lawrenceville will inevitably reap the rewards of having Dillmeier's services for the next four. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["175493"],"_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-69bed4fda777a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A converted longstick who came to Lawrenceville after spending two years at Bothell (Wash.), Mejia's shortstick play has been something of a revelation. An excellent athlete, he plays at full speed at all times and relies on high-level footwork, backpedaling and moving laterally at an exceptional level. Meijia was sticky on-ball, winning all his reps in coverage, forcing three turnovers, cleanly scooping the groundball, and then darting upfield in transition. While serving as the trailer on a fast break in the fourth quarter, he even stepped in and scored from 15 yards before the goal was mysteriously waved off. Part of a highly impressive SSDM unit for the Big Red, Meijia has the makeup of a prospect who could become one of the more coveted '28s at the position come September. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["16721"],"_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-69bed4fda77eb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Bumping down from the midfield, the Penn State-bound British Columbia native fared nicely in his debut as Lawrenceville's starting lefty attackman, posting three goals and two assists. Responsible for two of the Big Red's first four goals, he showed off an outstanding handle on a low pass on a fast break, then finished another on a 3v1 off of a CHC turnover. Able to find seams in defenses with regularity, he's crafty with the ball in his stick and opportunistic without it, constantly sneaking around the offensive zone to maximize his scoring chances. Lawrenceville thrived in transition on Thursday, and Richardson was a big reason why, also doling out a pair of assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["121315"],"_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-69bed4fda783c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">With the way that this game transpired, St. Pierre and the Lawrenceville backline didn't have to play a whole lot of defense. When they did, he excelled. A few minutes into the game, he threw a subtle poke check to jar the ball to help set the tone, then knocked down another pass later in the first quarter. He was especially effective in the well-oiled machine that is Lawrenceville's 10-man ride, constantly intercepting long passes flung downfield by the Cardinals. With St. Pierre's ranginess and top-flight stick skills, he's a force in skip lanes while staying man-conscious, something he did impeccably a year ago as the Big Red's No. 2 cover guy. By the looks of it, he's beyond ready to start taking No. 1's, but hopefully we'll see him get tested more 1v1 than he was on Thursday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["16729"],"_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-69bedb33d0b9f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">If there's a way to quietly put together a four-goal, three-assist outing, that's exactly what Sturtevant did on Tuesday afternoon. A volume shooter who doesn't need the ball much in order to have success, Sturtevant is someone who defenses have to account for at all times due to his big right-handed shot. He got on the board first with a beautiful stickside low shot from 10 yards out, then found the net again in the second quarter when his defender lost track of him before Sturtevant unleashed an offside high offering. To complete the hat trick, he came off a pick with his left hand, switched back to his right, and ripped one from the left hash with his feet moving and found the far side corner. In the third quarter, he found [player_tooltip player_id='143260' first='Ayden' last='Matthews'] on EMO, then netted another 45 seconds later to put Lawrenceville up 14-3. Although limited athletically, he's upped his game each year while part of the Big Red's program and looks poised to join a promising young core in Ann Arbor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->