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BY MIKE FLANAGAN
Often slept on due to their distant location out in Western Mass, perennial Division II power Longmeadow made an extremely loud statement on Thursday night when the Lancers traveled out east for their season-opening tilt at Xaverian.
The long-awaited debut for new head coach Daggett Morse did not go as planned for the Hawks, as a scoring barrage by junior midfielder Luke Szyluk helped catapult Longmeadow to a resounding 18-8 victory.
“We knew what we had as a team,” said Szyluk, who pocketed six goals and dished out an assist. “We just brought everything we had and we knew they were fourth {ranked in the state} and that just didn’t matter at all because we know what we have. Our guys brought it today and it showed. Big warning out there.”
Big Warning Out There
From the onset, Longmeadow was in control. The Lancers dominated the face-off X, with Luke McHugh owning his battles. A 3-0 run to begin the game by the Lancers was countered by an upstairs rip by Xaverian senior captain Jack Pastore (Ithaca) to cut the deficit to 3-1. Longmeadow spent the majority of the remainder of the quarter on the man-up and made Xaverian pay with a 4-1 run, highlighted by a pair of goals from Szyluk and a beautiful backhanded shovel shot upstairs by senior attackman Richie Joseph (five goals, five assists).
After taking a 10-3 lead into halftime, the Lancers never relented in the second half. Xaverian’s offense struggled to penetrate Longmeadow’s relentless defense. The Lancers extended their lead to as many as 10 at 14-4 late in the third quarter but Xaverian countered with back-to-back man-up goals by junior Ben Ryan (Laxachusetts) to make it 14-6 at the end of three.
What looked like a potential Xaverian comeback was quickly put to bed by Longmeadow early in the fourth following back-to-back goals by attackman Sam Weaver to make it a 16-6 game. Longmeadow maintained their 10-goal edge until the final whistle to come away victorious.
“I need to coach better,” said Morse following the game. “Long season ahead. Time to watch the film and figure out where we need to improve. Give Longmeadow credit, though. They were excellent in every facet of the game and they were ready to go from the opening faceoff. That’s a great team.”
Standouts from Longmeadow-Xaverian
Luke Szyluk ’22, midfield, Longmeadow / Piatelli Kings (Highlights)
It was an all-around dominant performance by the junior midfielder. Every time Szyluk got the ball, he found open space and tickled twine. His fiery attitude and confidence out on the field make him an extremely fun player to watch. Already with six goals on the year, Syzluk should continue to rack up insane numbers.
Griffin Ready, Goalie, ’23, Xaverian / 3d New England (Highlights)
Absolutely none of the blame for Thursday’s loss can be put on Ready, who still managed to make 12 saves and stood on his head. Ready did what he could against a relentless offense. A big part of Xaverian’s defensive struggles on Thursday were due to bad communication on slides as well as taking nine penalties on the evening, resulting in five man-up goals for Longmeadow. There isn’t much a goalie can do when going up against adversity like that.
Richie Joseph ’21, attack, Longmeadow / Piatelli Kings / Bowdoin (Highlights)
Arguably his team’s best all-around player two years ago, Joseph has developed into an even stronger player and has established himself as the lead dog in Longmeadow’s high-powered offense. You name it and Joseph did it on Thursday against the Hawks. He caused turnovers on the ride, dished out five apples and put home five goals. Joseph’s exceptional ability to create offense, whether its for himself or teammates, was put on full display. He’s a special talent that is going to put up ridiculous numbers in this wagon of an offense.
Sam Weaver ’22, attack, Longmeadow (Highlights)
Weaver saw extended playing time on attack due to the void of Carter Hanrahan and he absolutely made the most of it, racking up four goals on the night. A lot of Weaver’s production came from Joseph’s smooth playmaking, who assisted on three of Weaver’s four goals. The two showed great chemistry throughout the night. A breakout game like this against a strong opponent, this early in the season, is going to do wonders for his confidence.
Jack Pastore ’21, midfield, Xaverian / Coyotes / Ithaca (Highlights)
Few players in the state can rip the ball like Pastore. When given the chance, Pastore made Longmeadow pay with three goals, all of equal distance and all absolute cannons from the perimeter. Xaverian is going to need to find a way to get Pastore into open space more in order to utilize his weapon of a shot. Longmeadow did a good job of locking him off in the second half. If Xaverian wants to make a deep playoff run this June, they’ll need to find a way to get the ball to their Ithaca commit and let him go to work.
LONGMEADOW 18, XAVERIAN 8
Longmeadow 7 3 4 4 – 18
Xaverian 2 1 3 2 – 8
Longmeadow
Richie Joseph 5g,5a
Luke Syzluk 6g,1a
Sam Weaver 4g
Oliver Kroon 1g
Jack Wright 1g
Coleson Hanrahan 1a
John Batchelor 10 saves
Xaverian
Jack Pastore 3g
Jake Gilbert 2g,1a
Ben Ryan 2g
Cristian Reyes 1g
Finn Maguire 1a
Griffin Ready 12 saves
