The Key West Conchs lacrosse team got off to a 2-0 start this season, first with a road win at Florida Christian on Feb. 11. Coach Alberto Piceno gave the game ball to freshman Owen Dougherty.
“We lost a defenseman and he stepped in and did a phenomenal job; he stood out as making a difference in the game,” Dougherty said. Also making quite a difference was goalkeeper Mateo Lopez, who was credited with 11 saves and a 73% save rate.
“He kept us in the game,” Piceno said.
Zachary Payne scored three, Sawyer Hill two and Carlo Vernieri and Kieran Smith one apiece in the 7-4 win.
Two nights later, the Conchs won their home opener against John Carroll Catholic in a 13-5 rout. Vernieri netted four goals while Payne and Brooks Pellicier scored three each. Reif Wallen added two and Hill chalked up one more for a baker’s dozen for Key West. Lopez’s saves hit the double digits again, keeping the Conchs out in front for the entirety of the game. Against the Rams, Piceno was impressed with Vernieri, a sophomore.
“He is an impactful player on the field; his ability to manage the game, to speed it up, slow it down, direct, and get his teammates involved in plays was crucial,” he explained.
Key West was not the only Keys team putting the hurt on Florida Christian last week. Hurricane fans got their money’s worth at the regular-season opener at home last week. Coral Shores’ boys lacrosse coach Chris Carrow was ecstatic with his team’s performance in a double-overtime win he described as “thrilling” on Feb. 13 against the Patriots of Florida Christian.
Brock Bynum’s 10-save clutch performance shut down the Patriots’ offense while the Hurricanes’ offensive unit was firing on all cylinders. Lucas Carballo, Reed Tutor, Zane Martinez and Christian Gonzalez all found the net to contribute to the team’s goal total in the big win.
While the boys teams were unbeaten in week one, the girls teams struggled to find their mojo. Key West lost their opener 16-4 at Calvary Christian on Feb. 15. Coral Shores fell to 0-1 after a 15-5 loss at home against Palmer Trinity on Feb. 11.
