- November 25, 2024
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Matanzas players’ sticks, helmets and gloves were strewn across the field as the scoreboard showed triple zeros.
Seniors covered their faces as tears ran down their cheeks while coach Jeff Goren addressed the team.
“That’s the hardest I’ve seen you guys play all year,” he told the team. “Yes, it’s the end for the seniors. But for the rest of us, this is just the beginning.”
It was tough for anyone to look ahead to next year just minutes after losing to St. Augustine, 4-3, in the District 6 boys lacrosse championship Friday night, but there is a lot to look forward to for the Pirates.
Goren will be heading into his second season, impact freshmen will be experienced sophomores, and the program will be one year older. Still, Goren was disappointed that his seniors couldn’t go out with a title.
“What this team did is something that not many teams at Matanzas have been able to do: win a playoff game and play for a championship,” Goren said. “Our seniors — our defense — they were great all year. Because of them, we were in games.”
That was no different on Friday night, when the Pirates (6-9) allowed just four goals against an aggressive St. Augustine team.
Matanzas scored the first goal of the game when senior Josh Holbrook found the back of the net just 3 minutes, 19 seconds, after the opening faceoff.
St. Augustine went on to score three unanswered goals to close out the first half to hold a 3-1 lead at the midway point.
The Yellow Jackets took a 4-1 lead with 6:52 remaining in the third quarter before Matanzas began to rally.
“Our game plan was to attack from behind,” Goren said. “We abandoned the game plan late in the first quarter and didn’t go back to it until the fourth quarter.”
Going back to the plan began to work over the final 12 minutes. Freshman Gunner Parson scored 30 seconds into the fourth quarter to cut the lead in half. About six minutes later, Holbrook bullied his way around the cage and through the St. Augustine defense to score his second goal of the game, cutting the lead to 4-3, with 5:48 to go.
The Pirates had a man-up opportunity with about 1:30 remaining but couldn’t string together the final pass.
The championship was the first in St. Augustine’s history.
“It meant a lot to our seniors to win the championship this year,” Goren said. “We are upset because this is the end. When I played, I cried. This is what happens when you’re a senior.”
The Pirates’ inconsistent offense was their biggest problem this season. Moreover, the team loses several key defenders.
But, once the tears are wiped away, Matanzas can look ahead to 2014.
“The future looks really great for us,” Goren said, noting that the team’s highest scoring output was 12 goals against a mediocre team. “We will score more goals next year.”
