The St. Thomas Aquinas men's lacrosse team claimed their first program victory as they topped AIC 16-3 in their season opener for the historic win.
February 25th 2017 will be a day to remember for the Spartan men's lacrosse team. American International College set the stage for what would be the first victory of the STAC program. After an inaugural season, which posted a 0-12 record, the Spartans knew 2017 would be different.
The Spartans took control of the game right from the start scoring the first four goals. Briele Caples scored the opening goal and assisted on two others in the four goal stretch. Jack McIntyre scored two goals for the Yellow Jackets making the score 4-2 at the end of the first quarter. Sam Scarfo had the assists on both goals for the host and scored the third and final goal for AIC in the second quarter.
The second half belonged to the Spartans as well as they had 18 shots to the hosts 3. After three first half goals for the hosts, the Spartan defense did not leave any room for scoring in the 2nd half. In addition to a ruckus close defensive unit, the defensive midfield made stops in transition and created many scoring opportunities for the Spartan offense. Rob Hornberger and Steven Odam have emerged as daunting LSM's for the Spartan defensive unit. The midfield caused turnovers and created transition in between the lines. Edward Kelly, Nyle Worrell and Michael McNally were also integral on ground balls and were regulars in the clearing game; 14-18 on the day.
STAC will return to action on this Thursday when they host St. Rose for their home opener. Game time is slated for 3:00 p.m.