St. Anne’s-Belfield’s boys lacrosse team knew what was at stake Friday afternoon against St. Christopher’s.
The bottom line was that the Saints needed a solid win with a complete effort in the ultra-competitive VISAA Division I.
They got it, beating St. Christopher’s 8-6 in a battle of two of the state’s top 10 squads.
STAB jumped out to a 3-0 lead before penalties allowed St. Chris to claw back into the game.
Phillip Robertson, Joe Robertson and Connor Shellenberger each finished with two goals for the Saints with Javon Johnson and Chris Woodfolk’s goals rounding out the offensive effort. Joe Robertson dished out four assists to go with his two goals while Phillip Robertson had two assists. Jack Schultz and Johnson also each notched an assist.
The Saints’ defense stepped up in a big way with Patrick Blake finishing with six saves while shortstick defensive midfielders Stuart Lyster and Zach Caton turned in particularly solid efforts. Kareem Johnson marked St. Chris star Ned Tazwell and held him to three goals on nine shots.
The defense’s effort was particularly impressive considering that group had to play a lot of defense with St. Christopher’s holding a 14-1 advantage on faceoffs. STAB will face Christchurch Tuesday at home before heading to Norfolk Academy next Saturday for another huge matchup.
