Cabrini’s men’s lacrosse started their 2023 season off strong after an away game victory over Haverford College Saturday, Feb. 18.
Picking up where they left off
The Cavaliers came in hot after beginning the game up 4-0 after just two minutes and 19 seconds. Senior attack Dillon McManus had three of those four goals.
Haverford, however, ended the quarter on a 3-2 run to bring the score to 6-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Cabrini started the second quarter just like the first. The Cavaliers scored four straight goals in the second, shutting down Haverford’s momentum from the first-half finish. Senior attack Mikey Vanaman scored three goals, with one goal from junior attack Tommy Vaughan.
Haverford was held scoreless in the second quarter and the score at the half was 10-3 in Cabrini’s favor.
The Cavaliers had a dominant first half. They gained almost double the number of shots, almost three times the amount of shots on goal, almost double the amount of ground balls, and won faceoffs 15-0.
The Cavaliers yet again had a busy quarter on the stat sheet in the third. Sophomore attack Jake Schneider saw his second and third goals of the game, while senior attack Austin Bolton and Vaughan both scored their second of the contest.
At the end of the third, the Cavaliers were up 14-4 with just 15 minutes remaining. In the fourth, Haverford had their best quarter after totaling more shots, shots on goal, saves, and faceoffs than they had all game. However, the Cavaliers still ended up winning the quarter 4-2 and eventually won 18-6.
What went right
Cabrini had five players with multiple goals scored, with the leading goal scorer, McManus, totaling five. Sam DiTrolio, a freshman from Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, was 22-24 on face-offs for a .917 win percentage on the day. When asked about the performance by DiTrolio, Coach Steve Colfer said, “It was big. Obviously, Sam has been putting in the work and was great in high school. The young man from Haverford that he was going up against was a returning all-conference player, so it was a really good test on the road for Sam.”
The Cavaliers lost their senior face-off last year to graduation, so it was important for DiTrolio to step up the way he did. McManus is entering his second year here at Cabrini after transferring in from Bates College in Maine.
He explained, “There was definitely some needed time to acclimate myself into the system last year. A few of the obvious challenges were meeting and working with new people, team chemistry, stepping into a big role, and a new school. This year feels like I’ve known this team and our coaches my whole life. It’s a really special system to be a part of.”
A huge part of teamwork is winning on and off the field. Colfer said, “I think sometimes as coaches and athletes we really overthink it. It can get really overwhelming. We just try to keep everything simple. Figure out today what we did or did not do and how do we plan tomorrow.”
McManus agreed with Colfer, saying, “I think preparation is most important to continue the success we have had thus far. The way we watch and analyze film, our lifting sessions, making sure we work hard at practice, and of course, nutrition and recovery are all important ways we prepare for any game.”
What happened next?
The Cavaliers took on the nationally ranked University of Lynchburg Saturday, Feb. 25 at noon at Edith Robb Dixon Field, losing 11-7.
