Boys lacrosse had a Keys matchup last week when Key West and Coral Shores played in Tavernier on March 12. The Conchs beat the ’Canes 18-3 in a decisive victory. Mack Hill led Key West in scoring with 6 goals and 4 assists. Hill was also credited with 3 takeaways in the win. Carter Sessoms, Brooks Pellicier, Smith Switzer and Max Louchheim had 2 goals each, with Sessoms and Pellicier assisting 3 times each, as well. Roman Van Loon, Kieran Smith, Zachary Payne and Dreyden Telfer made up the other goals for the Conchs. Goalkeeper Mateo Lopez had a half-dozen ground balls and 8 saves.
For Coral Shores, Red Tudor scored twice and Nick Petrusha netted 1 goal with assists from Nathaniel Shugarman and Lucas Carballo. SG Paul scooped up 4 ground balls and registered 6 take-aways in the ’Canes’ loss while Brock Bynum and Yoan Garcia paired up in goal for 13 saves. Key West is sitting on a 7-3 record with its next game scheduled against LaSalle on Tuesday, March 26. Coral Shores, now 1-7, plays at St. Brendan on Wednesday, March 27.
In girls lacrosse, Key West added one win and one loss to its record last week. The Lady Conchs played Archbishop McCarthy on March 13, winning 11-9 over the Mavericks, a team Key West lost to just two weeks prior. The team has been picking up steam lately, just in time for postseason action. Against McCarthy, Key West was all tied up at the end of quarter one and two, but managed to pull away in the second half. “It was a goal-for-goal type of game, high intensity and very physical,” said head coach Marisa Giacopuzzi. “Archbishop got four yellow cards in the first half, leading them to be down a player the entire second half.”
Key West took advantage of the situation, applying pressure to the Mavericks at the goal. “It was a hard-fought game on both sides,” Giacopuzzi said, describing her young team’s will to win against a more seasoned rival. Colbie Turner scored 5 goals, won 6 draw controls and caused a turnover. Kaitlyn Piloto netted 3 goals and intercepted twice. Maeve O’Hearn, Eisley Whitehead and Deanna Mercier each scored 1 goal. O’Hearn caused a turnover and had an interception and Mercier caused 3 turnovers and won 3 draw controls. Ava Brock caused 2 turnovers and was credited with a pair of assists. In goal, Courtney Grabus saved 7 to preserve the win.
On March 15, the Conchs celebrated Senior Night against Palmer Trinity. Key West struggled against the Falcons, losing 6-5. Though Palmer was the underdog in the game, Giacopuzzi said, “Palmer came to play and the Conchs didn’t. We were flat the entire game and couldn’t find our rhythm.
“Having just upset Archbishop, I thought we were ready. … Palmer out-hustled us, pressured us and shot more than us. We were prepared in knowing what we needed to do in a close game like this, as we were with Coral Shores a few weeks back, but we still couldn’t make it happen.”
Despite the loss, Giacopuzzi praised the hustle of Ella Bishop, whose defensive play, including 7 ground balls, helped keep the Conchs in the game. Grabus had 11 saves in goal, keeping the game close through the end. Turner scored 2 while Mercier, Piloto and Taylor Gibson each netted 1 goal.
Key West will need to leave its loss against Palmer behind in order to prepare for the strongest portion of the schedule in the coming weeks. The next game is Saturday, April 6 against St. Thomas Aquinas, then they face both American Heritage schools, one of which is the No. 1-ranked team in the state.
