By Chris Goldberg
TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 3/18/13
The long trip to hot and humid Pasadena on Saturday was well worth it for the St. Ignatius Prep boys’ lacrosse team.
The No. 15 Wildcats defeated their southern California rival, San Diego’s Torrey Pines, 12-7, to improve to 5-0 and cap a memorable weekend.
On Friday St. Ignatius had edged another San Diego power and rival, Coronado, 9-8. In that game, senior Spencer Evans (committed to Harvard) scored his third goal of the game to win it with 3 minutes to play after the Wildcats rallied from a 7-6 deficit.
That winning goal was set up by senior Matt Emery (Virginia), who took a feed from senior long pole Charlie Ford (Georgetown).
On Saturday St. Ignatius avenged two one-goal losses to Torrey Pines when junior Joe Lang (Harvard) fired in six goals. Cyrus Scott (Colgate) excelled in the goal.
“The Coronado win was special because we have played them for 7 or 8 years and every time out it’s a 1- or 2-goal game,” said St. Ignatius Prep coach Chris Packard. “(Coronado coach Alex Cade) does a great job and it’s always a great battle.”
In Saturday’s win, St. Ignatius rallied from an early 3-2 deficit to take control.
“They beat us the last two years with a late goal and they came out all fired up in the heat of LA – we weren’t used to it,” said Packard. “We settled down and things got better.
“This year we have 20 seniors and everyone is contributing. They played a bunch last year and we are getting some good play from our sophomores who have stepped up.
“I think our goalie, Cyrus, was the MVP of the weekend. We have never had as complete a player as him in the nets. He makes great stops and clears the ball well.”
The TopLaxRecruits North America Boys’ Rankings
1. Boys’ Latin, Md. (3-0) Prev: No. 1
2. Garden City, N.Y. (0-0) Prev: No. 2
3. St. Anthony’s, N.Y. (0-0) Prev: No. 4
4. La Salle, Pa. (0-0) Prev: No. 5
5. Chaminade, N.Y. (0-0) Prev: No. 6
6. St. Paul’s School, Md. (3-0) Prev: NR
7. Hill Academy, Ontario (5-1) Prev: No. 7
8. Salisbury School, Conn. (0-0) Prev: No. 8
9. Deerfield Academy, Mass. (0-0) Prev: No. 9
10. Calvert Hall, Md. (0-1) Prev: No. 3
11. Landon School, Md. (2-1) Prev: No. 10
12. Gilman School, Md. (1-0) Prev: No. 12
13. Smithtown West, N.Y. (0-0) Prev: No. 11
14. Gonzaga, D.C. (3-1) No. 14
15. St. Ignatius Prep, Cal.(5-0) Prev: No. 18
16. McDonogh School (Md.) 3-0 Prev: NR
17. Malvern Prep, Pa. (1-0) Prev: NR
18. Conestoga, Pa. (0-0) Prev: No. 17
19. Jamesville-DeWitt, N.Y. (0-0) Prev: No. 19
20. Yorktown, N.Y. (0-0) Prev: No. 20
Under consideration: Darien, Conn. (0-0); Don Bosco Prep, N.J. (0-0); Culver Academy, Ill. (0-0); Duxbury, Mass. (0-0); Georgetown Prep, Md. (2-1); Haverford School, Pa. (0-1); Ithaca, N.Y. (0-0); Loyola Blakefield, Md. (1-1); Niskayuna, NY (0-0); St. Andrew’s, Fla. (8-2); St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, Va, (3-0); West Genesee, NY (0-0); West Islip, N.Y. (0-0).