For the second time this year, the Cavaliers faced Immaculata University and hungry for yet another win. This high-stakes game was the first playoffs round and would mark the Cavaliers’ 26th consecutive conference championship.
This season’s team is fueled by Steve Colfer’s coaching and the leadership of seniors such as attackman Dillon McManus and defender Matt Hughes.
Hughes, a large component of the team’s defensive success, made sure its impact was seen from the beginning whistle.
“We came out and played much faster than them and made them speed up to our level of play,” Hughes said.
From the beginning whistle, Cabrini fired shot after shot on Immaculata, and, the Cavaliers enjoyed a 9-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The ferocious attack core led by attack McManus, senior attack Austin Bolton, and freshmen attackmen Connor Herraiz and Matt Vanaman seemed to be too much for the Mighty Macs.
“Against Immaculata, I thought we just came out firing. Going up 9-0 in the first quarter is a huge momentum booster for the team. So, we just wanted to go out there and play Cabrini lacrosse and show them that we are the best in the AEC,” Vanaman said.
A freshman transfer, Vanaman never let the pressure of a big game get to him.
“I just wanted to make an immediate impact to the team. On game days my mindset is to just go out there and play my brand of lacrosse and everything will fall into place,” Vanaman said.
And fall into place it did, as Vanaman finished with two goals in just five shots and one assist.
Cabrini stayed on the gas, fighting for every ground ball and winning a total of 26 face-offs courtesy of junior face-off Johnny McCormick, sophomore face-off Tyler Carroll, and freshman face-off Sam Ditrolio.
Senior captain and former player of the week, McManus, like Vanaman, has only been with the team for a short time, but used his leadership qualities and communal style of play to create a lasting impact on the Cavaliers.
“When you take a step back and just enjoy playing with some of your best friends, then winning becomes the easy part,” McManus said.
McManus finished with a whopping six goals on just under 50 percent shooting to complement three assists.
As the first half ended, the Cavaliers led 13-2.
This trend continued as the boys in blue and white came out to a hot start in the second half with an explosive third quarter scoring three goals in the first six minutes.
The Mighty Macs did everything they could to fight back, tacking on two goals and playing the aggressive game that the Cavaliers are used to.
Tempers flared throughout the third quarter with penalty flags flying and pushing and shoving on both sides of the field. Cabrini had a one-man advantage and quickly overcame of a weak-defended Immaculata half. The Cavaliers scored a rapid three goals, putting them up 19-4 with two and a half minutes left to play in the third quarter.
Cabrini slowed down their foot-on-the-pedal style of play and turned to their deep bench to finish off the game. The Cavaliers took home a dominating win with a final score of 23-4.
The team looks to use this win as momentum into their 21st appearance in the Division III NCAA tournament.
