It took 10 years in the making. Cabrini’s victory in the Battle for Eagle Road was worth the wait.
For the first time in 10 years, the Cabrini men’s lacrosse team took on Eastern University for the Battle for Eagle Road. The Cavs win 16-12.
The last time the Cavaliers and Eagles met in the NCAA Tournament was in 2012, with the Cavs winning 19-3. The rivalry was all leading up to the big game taking place on Mar. 26. While the pressure was high, Cabrini dominated the game with outstanding performances from the team.
The team was excited to conquer, especially bouncing back from previous games. “We felt good taking the win over Eastern after a close game with Colorado before,” Jake Cavanaugh, sophomore defender, said.
Seven players shined throughout the game and helped their team score goals. Mikey Vanaman, junior attack/midfielder, had four goals and was the highest scoring player of the game. Dillion McManus, junior attack, and Jake Schneider, freshman attack, each had three goals.
Two other players that lit it up on the field were Zack Kaut, senior defense, and Tommy Vaughan, sophomore attack. Kaut and Vaughan both scored two goals.
Known for his faceoffs, Jake Huey, senior faceoff, had 10 ground balls and two assists. Matt Nestler, a graduate student goaltender, successfully led the Cavaliers to victory in the second half by posting six of his seven saves.
Cabrini started strong at the start of the game. Kaut was on fire and managed to score the game’s first goal within the first 19 seconds. Just after the first goal, the momentum stayed up and Vanaman and Vaughan kept the Cavaliers in a 3-0 lead just less than six minutes into the game.
Vaughan describes his feelings towards the major win for the Cavs and the atmosphere of the game itself. “It felt great to win against Eastern. The game had a lot of hype around it during the days leading up to game day and to see a big crowd made all the hype that more true. Eastern being a cross-road campus made it a lot more special and to have come out on top felt awesome. We hadn’t played them in ten years so a win was mandatory,” Vaughan said.
During the second quarter of the game, the Cavs kept their 5-2 lead. There were two back-to-back goals scored by the Eagles in the opening period and left the score at 5-4. During this, Max Drift, sophomore attack, and Austin Bolton, junior attack, boosted the score with their goals, leaving an 8-4 lead with only four minutes left in the period.
In the second quarter, the Eagles only scored one more goal before halftime leaving the score 8-5. The third quarter was exciting for both teams, and they combined for nine goals.
A key contributor in particular that benefited and led Cabrini’s team with its largest lead was Jake Schneider. Schneider’s goal at 6:55 lead the Cavs to a 12-7 lead and he got the game rolling by helping with five goals in the last 90 seconds of the third quarter.
The Cavaliers have been in store preparing for the game against the Eastern Eagles, so there was no doubt there was room for great teamwork. “They’ve been getting better over the past few years, and overall it was a good game. Being able to play a school right across the road and get the win is always a positive,” Corbin Carraghan, junior defender, said.
Taking a look back at the third quarter, the blue-and-white weren’t the only ones who kept the energy up. The Eagles scored two goals in the fourth quarter.
Vanaman and McManus regained five goals in the fourth with 5:29 to play. There were also a lot of scoring opportunities and 14 turnovers throughout the game.
The game was solid overall in many different ways, but there were improvements that could’ve been done. “As a team, we were satisfied with the win but thought we could have played better both defensively and offensively,” Cavanaugh said.
“I think anytime as a young team, you play in close games that it’ll help you in the long run. We started off strong in the first half but it got closer towards the end. So being able to close the game out and win at home is a step forward for us,” Carraghan said.
For the long-awaited matchup, the Cavaliers took the win against the Eagles and won the Battle for Eagle Road. The strength from the team and players that the blue-and-white showed on the field gained their entry to a remarkable win in Cabrini history.
“It wasn’t a blowout and Eastern put up a good fight so our offense had to be consistent throughout the whole game. I was proud of all of our guys and will always be looking forward to defending Eagle Road,” Vaughan said.
