In a game that was as sloppy as the cold, rainy weather, the Colonie boys lacrosse team found a way to win against its crosstown rival.
Cam Signorelli scored three times to lead the Garnet Raiders to a 7-6 victory over Shaker in their Suburban Council opener last Friday at Union College.
Neither team was sharp, but Colonie (1-0) overcame its mistakes with help from goaltender Matt McCurley, who made 15 saves.
Both goalies played very well, said Colonie coach Matt Joyce. `If they didn’t, the score might have been 16-15.`
`I think there were a lot of balls all over the field [from bad passes],` said Shaker coach Shawn Hennessy. `We have to tighten that up if we’re going to win.`
The goals Colonie had came from passing the ball around. Five of the seven Garnet Raiders tallies had assists attached to them, while only two of Shaker’s six goals were team efforts.
The one thing Colonie had trouble with was staying out of the penalty box, especially in the second half. The Garnet Raiders had to kill off several man-down situations to hang on for the victory.
`We played undisciplined, and we played sloppy ` though Shaker played sloppy, too,` said Joyce.
Colonie grabbed a 4-2 halftime lead on a pair of second-quarter goals and extended the lead to three goals early in the third quarter. Shaker would pull within two goals twice over the next 12 minutes, only to see Colonie extend the lead again.
Davey Mitchell contributed a pair of goals, while Tom Clark and Mike Mineau each added a goal and an assist for the Garnet Raiders.
Joey Chiara led the Blue Bison (0-1 league, 1-1 overall) with two goals, including the final one with 9.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter that made the score 7-6. Tim Leahey recorded a goal and an assist, while Dan Casale and Brandon Souza both tallied. Dan Wargo made 12 saves in goal for Shaker.
Both teams were scheduled to return to action Tuesday with road games. Colonie was slated to visit Guilderland, while Shaker faced Niskayuna at Union College.
In other boys lacrosse action last week, Christian Brothers Academy (1-0) began its season with a 13-8 non-league victory over Bethlehem Thursday in Colonie.
The Brothers jumped out to a 5-2 halftime lead and then sealed the victory by outscoring Bethlehem 4-2 in the fourth quarter.
Zach Baron’s four goals paced CBA, which is looking for another Big 10 title this season. John Bassett had a hat trick and two assists, while Carter Sherman and Pat Risler each tallied twice.
Dan Thompson netted three goals, and Jordan Scheid had two goals and three assists for Bethlehem.“