With the regular season in the rear view, Keys lacrosse teams are set for high-stakes rematches in the district quarterfinals.
Coral Shores’ boys finished 11-5, securing the fifth seed in their FHSAA 1A District 16 bracket. The Hurricanes defeated St. Brendan in a 16-4 road win on March 31. Christian Gonzalez had five goals, James Mitchell had three goals and an assist and Zane Martinez had one goal and three assists in the win.
Next up was a stacked NSU University School on April 2. Scoring for the Canes were Finn McDonough with four goals, Mitchell with three and two assists and Martinez with two goals. Christian Gonzalez and Nathaniel Shugarman each added two assists. Goalie Brock Bynum had 22 saves in the 17-10 loss. The team found their winning ways again two days later in a 13-4 home romp against Cardinal Gibbons to finish their regular season strong.
“After a slow start, the team put their foot on the gas pedal and scored nine unanswered goals,” said coach Chris Carrow.
Mitchell led the way with six goals and an assist. Martinez netted three goals and three assists while Gonzalez scored two and assisted on another pair. SG Paul had one goal and one assist and McDonough added one goal and three assists to his stats. Bynum had seven saves in the big win. Carrow’s hope for a rematch against neighboring rival Key West will come to fruition this week, as the teams are slated to play one another in the quarterfinals on April 9.
Key West earned the upper hand and home field advantage with a No. 4 seed in the quarterfinals. The 10-4 Conchs lost to NSU University School on March 30, 19-14, then won two in a row to finish their regular season with momentum from an April 1 12-3 defeat of Archbishop McCarthy and a resounding 14-1 win over Keys Gate on April 4. The closely-matched Conchs and ’Canes meet in the Southernmost City at 6 p.m. to determine who earns the right to challenge top-seeded Westminster Christian in the semifinals on April 11.
The Lady Conchs finished their regular season with a 6-8 record after a week of mixed results. The team started at St. Brendan, where they lost 15-7 in what coach Marissa Giacopuzzi described as a “full battle.” The Conchs finished the game with six caused turnovers and 14 ground balls, but also drew a pair of penalty cards, putting them at a disadvantage for four minutes of play. St. Brendan capitalized with some quick goals in the 15-7 March 31 loss.
April 3 pitted the Conchs against NSU University School, one of the top teams in South Florida. Colbie Turner and Mavis Bishop netted two goals apiece and Taylor Gibson scored one, but the Sharks’ scoring was fast and furious, leading to a 16-5 loss for Key West.
The following day, Key West finished their regular season on a high note with a 15-1 victory over a visiting Keys Gate. The lopsided talent allowed the entire Lady Conchs’ roster to see time and vary their positions, and a dozen different athletes scored, including low defenders Molly Martinez, Madison Horner and Vivienne Kenn, who scored two.
Goalkeeper Diya Alwani traded sticks and positions to net a goal of her own on a free position shot with just eight seconds remaining in the game. Bishop scored three and chalked up five assists while Turner, Adriana Dall, Gibson, Althea Olsen, Eisley Whitehead, Adilys Frouel and Ashlyn Picco accounted for the rest. Giacopuzzi was pleased with her team’s effort, especially that of the defense.
Next up for Key West is the FHSAA 1A District quarterfinals, where they travel back to the raucous fans of St. Brendan on Thursday, April 9 at 4 p.m. The Conchs head into the game ranked fifth while the Sabres drew the No. 4 seed. The winner will face top-seeded Palmer Trinity Apr. 11 in the semifinal game.
The Lady ’Canes dropped two games and finished 4-8 in the regular season. They lost 10-7 at Palmer Trinity March 31, then 17-3 to NSU University two days later. The losses gave Coral Shores the seventh seed in District 16, matching them with second seed Ransom Everglades Apr. 9 for their quarterfinal game. The winner heads into the semis against either third seed Westminster Christian or the sixth-seeded Lourdes two days later.
