skip navigation

Lax Cats Conquer Rain, Lightning, Red Raiders

By Joe Ginley, 04/21/17, 12:30PM EDT

Share

Rain and lightning delayed the Saint Ignatius lacrosse team's showdown with Shaker Heights and even slowed down the Wildcats early on in the game. But Mother Nature could not prevent the Lax Cats from storming back for a win on Thursday evening.

The Wildcats overcame a 4-1 deficit at Wasmer Field on a rainy Thursday night, defeating the Red Raiders, 6-5, in a thrilling end for the faithful fans who stuck around until the end. 

With weather delaying the start, the contest started slowly for the wet Wildcats. The hosts saw the Red Raiders claim a 2-1 advantage after the first stanza. 

In a slow second quarter, Shaker Heights scored a goal and held the Wildcats off the board. Entering the second half, the Red Raiders held a 3-1 lead.

Shaker Heights added another tally in the third before the Wildcats' rally began. Riley Kinzel notched the first goal of the second half for the blue and gold, narrowing the deficit to two. Brent Chernosky then tabbed his second goal of the night, bringing the score to 4-3.

The Red Raiders responded with a goal, but Kinzel tabbed his second tally a couple minutes later, setting the score at 5-4 heading into the fourth. 

In an impressive team effort, the Lax Cats held the Red Raiders at bay on defense. Carter Blossey stood strong in net, turning away a handful of Shaker shots to end the night with 11 saves. 

The Wildcats' offense also did its job in the fourth. Chernosky tallied the tying marker at the 4:46 mark in heroic fashion. Then just 22 seconds later, dynamic freshman Michael Boehm scored the game-winning goal.

The Lax Cats stood strong in the final minutes, holding onto the lead with a firm grip. The hosts walked away with a 6-5 lead, advancing to 6-2 on the year. 

"Our offense played well in the fourth quarter," Head Coach Garen Distelhorst '96 said. "Blossey and Ameo were great down the stretch, too. Our defense was outstanding after the first quarter, shutting things down later in the game." 

As Coach Distelhorst mentioned, Anthony Ameo did well for the Wildcats, winning 9-of-13 faceoffs for the hosts. The team as a whole also notched 11 ground balls. 

Following the great win, the Wildcats receive the weekend off before returning to action on Tuesday on the road at Hudson.