Kent Denver’s boys lacrosse team looked like it was wearing ankle weights during the first quarter against the East Angels.
A bit of sluggishness can be expected in the first game after spring break, and the Sun Devils looked listless at the start. But Kent Denver broke open a close game with a one-sided third quarter that led to a 10-5 victory over the Angels in a Southern League contest Wednesday on the East turf.
“We were a little out of shape after spring break,” Kent Denver sophomore Frazier Cavness said. “We weren’t getting to the groundballs in the first quarter, but this team never gets down. We always believe we can come back.”
Cavness scored three goals for Kent Denver (5-1, 3-0 league), and Moses Taylor and Tyler Morton scored two apiece. Willy Strazza added three assists, and Max Pluss and Lucien Reichert combined to make eight saves.
For East (5-2, 4-1), Andrew Lay scored three goals, including the game-opener. Greg Litvak and Jack Spina contributed in the other two.
Lay put East on the scoreboard midway through a methodical first quarter with a left-handed, overhead bounce shot. Kent Denver’s Taylor tied the score 22 seconds into the second quarter, and Charlie Sayre and Cavness teamed up a couple minutes later to give the Sun Devils the lead.
Sayre created a turnover near midfield and passed to a hard-charging Sayre, who finished with a quick shot.
Later in the quarter, David Hanley controlled a pass from Strazza and unleashed an underhand stroke that beat East goalkeeper Richie Londer through the five-hole.
The scoring pace remained hectic throughout the quarter, and Lay brought East within a goal, 4-3, with 1:12 remaining in the first half. The third quarter, however, belonged to the Sun Devils.
“We played a great first half,” longtime East coach Jon Barocas said. “We came back out in the second half and did not stick to our game plan. We let it go. We have to play a complete game and we didn’t do that.”
Kent Denver scored four unanswered goals in the third quarter as East’s offense went stagnant, mustering only a single shot on goal. The teams traded goals in the fourth quarter, but four-time state champion Kent Denver had taken control.
“We moved the ball around a lot more and got to more groundballs in the second half,” Strazza said.
Kent Denver 0 4 4 2 – 10
East 1 2 0 2 – 5
First quarter – E: Lay (unassisted), 5:45.
Second quarter – KD: Taylor (unassisted), 11:38; Cavness (Sayre), 9:12; E: Litvak (Spina), 8:44; KD: Morton (Hanley), 7:03; Hanley (Strazza), 6:50; E: Lay (Russell), 1:12.
Third quarter – KD: Taylor (Strazza), 10:58; Reilly (unassisted), 6:39; Morton (unassisted), 3:32; Cavness (Strazza), 1:42.
Fourth quarter – E: Spina (unassisted), 10:33; KD: Cunningham (Sayre), 7:56; E: Lay (unassisted), 5:39; KD: Cavness (Reilly), 4:27.
Shots on goal – Kent Denver 1-6-8-2 – 17; East 2-5-1-5 – 13. Saves – Kent Denver (Pluss, first half, and Reichert) 1-3-1-3 – 8; East (Londer, three quarters, and Sevier) 1-2-4-0 – 7. Groundballs – Kent Denver 6-12-12-8 – 38; East 6-9-6-10 – 31.
