- November 4, 2024
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“It’s been nine years, three months, two weeks, four days, 10 hours and 32 seconds. That’s how long it took us to right Pirates’ history.”
Pirates’ lacrosse offensive coordinator Oliver Johnston reminded the team how long it had been since the program came to existence.
Now, the wait is over. Matanzas (12-4) took down district rivals, the St. Augustine Jackets, 12-11 to win its first district championship in the program’s history on Friday, April 10, in St. Augustine.
“I’ve won a lot of championships as a player, but as a coach, it is much more rewarding,” said a shivering coach Jeff Goren, who had just gotten showered with the remaining Gatorade. “We came close my first year, but this year we were able to put it together and come out with the “W.”
After conceding an early goal, the Pirates took charge of the game, going up 5-1 at the beginning of the second quarter. Matanzas would go into halftime with an 8-3 lead over the Jackets.
The Pirates came out of halftime and quickly added to their lead (9-3) with a second Gunner Parson goal, but the third and much of the fourth quarter belonged to St. Augustine. The Jackets outscored Matanzas 5-2 in the third quarter to pull within 10-8, heading into the fourth.
Gunner Parson scored the first goal of the fourth to give Matanzas a little breathing room, but St. Augustine scored two goals in the next minute to pull within one goal.
Just under five minutes, the Jackets evened the score at 11, and while St. Augustine’s sideline and crowd screamed and roared as loud as they had all night, Matanzas’ side was grew quiet.
“I was a wreck,” Said Goren, after his team gave up a three-point fourth quarter lead. “I never got nerves as a player, but as a coach, I start shaking on the sidelines.”
While the Jackets appeared to have sucked all the life out of the Pirates, Matanzas found a hero in Andrew McIntyre, the Buffalo transfer, who found the back of the net for the Pirates with 40 seconds in the game to lift Matanzas over St. Augustine, avenging the Pirates’ district championship loss from two years ago, which was Goren’s first year as coach.
“I didn’t think of the goal for me but for my team,” McIntyre said. “It’s been nine years, but we’re the champions.”
Up next for Matanzas is a first-round play-in game against Lake Mary Friday, April 17, at Lake Mary.
