La Salle College High School snatched the Philadelphia Catholic League Title from St. Joseph’s Prep. This is the third consecutive title for the Explorers, all three coming in victories over St. Joe’s.
Both teams had excellent seasons. After a shaky start to the season, La Salle responded by winning 12 of its remaining 16 up to the championship game. The Explorers rank 45th in the DigitalSports National Lacrosse Rankings and 5th in Pennsylvania.
Right behind La Salle, the Hawks rank 46th nationally and 6th in the state, entering the game with a 14-5 record.
In a low scoring first half, St. Joe’s kept La Salle off the board, taking a 3-0 lead into the halftime break. A big third quarter got La Salle back in the game. The Explorers scored five goals, taking a 5-4 lead, before the final quarter.
When Aidan Kerrigan scored his third goal of the game with 2:44 remaining in the game, taking a 7-5 lead, things looked good for the Explorers. St. Joe’s was not going down easily, however. Pat Walsh netted two quick goals tying the game with about 50 seconds to go.
After winning possession of the ball, La Salle closed out the game when junior attackman Zach Drake scored the game-winning with 8.8 seconds left in the game. Running off a pick from Stephen Hudak, Drake came around from behind the net, ripping a shot passed the St. Joe’s goalie to win the game.
Perhaps the unsung hero of the game was freshman Explorer Anthony Giuliani who won 18 of 20 faceoffs. Giuliani came up big in wins after Pat Walsh’s two goals, giving La Salle the opportunity needed for Drake’s winner. Then, the freshman won the ensuing faceoff, taking away St. Joe’s chance for a late tie.
La Salle now prepares to defend last year’s PIAA state championship. The Explorers get things started against Northeast High School on May 22.
Key Players:
Aidan Kerrigan- 3 goals
Anthony Giuliani- 18 of 20 faceoff wins
Zach Drake- game-winning goal
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