Big run carries Sussex Tech to boys lacrosse win

Sussex Tech’s Nate Quillin (5) recoreded a hat trick as the Ravens defeated Lake Fprest 24-16 in DIAA playoff action.

FELTON – Sussex Tech barely won a wild game against Lake Forest just 13 days ago, so the Ravens knew what to expect in the first round of the DIAA Boys Lacrosse Tournament on Tuesday night.

The Spartans battled Sussex Tech tooth and nail for almost three quarters, until the Ravens made a key adjustment and pulled away for a 24-16 victory.

Lake Forest star Austin Aguilar was hurting Sussex Tech on faceoffs, so Ravens coach Don Golacinski pulled senior Caleb Dennis out of the attack and had him concentrate on faceoffs only.

It made a huge difference, as ninth-seeded Sussex Tech (10-6) scored nine straight goals to earn a second-round matchup against top-seeded Salesianum on Saturday, at a site and time to be determined.

“We talked at halftime about their ability to score goals in groups, four or five,” Golacinski said. “That’s what we were afraid of, them getting a run.”

Sussex Tech edged the Spartans 18-17 in overtime on May 11, and this one had the potential to be a repeat. The Ravens led 12-8 at halftime, only to see Lake Forest pull within 15-13 on back-to-back goals by Carter Kenton with 1:14 left in the third quarter.

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Then Sussex Tech started controlling possession, and the rest was history. Nate Quillin fired one in after a long run and Daniel Wilson scored with 1.5 seconds left in the quarter to push the Ravens’ lead back to 17-13.

The onslaught continued, as Wilson scored again, Tyler Hatfield found the net after a turnover and Matthew Tull pumped in back-to-back goals. Then Ian Carlisle scored, Whaley hit the target and Brett Snyder capped the run to make it 24-13 with 4:09 to play.

“When we played them first time, they were locking us off,” Whaley said. “We couldn’t really get open. So we just started running our picks, getting open, moving the ball around. That’s really all you need to do.”

The Spartans (11-5) got 10 goals from Kenton, three from Aguilar and two from Ben Moore. The loss capped a remarkable season for the Lake Forest program, which reached the playoffs and earned a home game in only its second season.

“Second-year program, you can never expect to have a home-field advantage in a playoff game,” Spartans coach Brandon Savage said. “You’d never expect that. But at the end of last season, I did expect it. Because you could see the talent that we had. You could see us growing and getting better every day.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.