OCEAN CITY – Down 3-2 in the fourth quarter, the Ocean City Red Raiders had one minute remaining in regulation to avoid their first loss to the rival Mainland Mustangs since 2018.
Dominic Vallese broke through the stout Mustang defense and scored with 48 seconds left. Vallese sent it to overtime after the Raiders played nearly the entire game from behind.
After two heavily defensive overtime periods, Jack Scherbin scored the game-winning goal and lifted Ocean City to a thrilling 4-3 win on April 24.
The Raiders did not hold the lead at any point in the game until Otter Donohue found Scherbin wide open in the front of the Mustangs’ net in the second overtime.
“That was everyone and it wasn’t just me,” Scherbin said about the final goal. “I happened to be in the right spot and he threw the pass so I’ll give it to Otter on that one.”
The Mustangs punched through the Ocean City defense early as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead behind star senior Harrison LaMonaca. LaMonaca scored or assisted on all three goals for Mainland and had his season total reach 32 goals just 10 games into the year.
Ocean City goalie James Burger regained his footing in the second half and only allowed one goal in the final 30 minutes of game time, including overtime. He finished with 10 saves but had his best work when it mattered most.
“I will say our goalie saved us a few times in the end there,” Ocean City head coach Joe LaTorre said. “He had two to three saves in overtime and double overtime where if one gets in the game is over.”
Scherbin hit the back of the net twice for the Raiders in a game where every shot and goal had to be earned. The defenses won the day as both teams gave everything they had to beat their rivals.
“This game was intense from the get-go and everyone in the locker room knew beforehand it was going to be a dog fight,” Scherbin said. “There were going to be no plays off and we all had to play together.”
After one of the most thrilling games against Mainland in his 14-year tenure at Ocean City, coach LaTorre said, “What Luc Swedlund and the coaching staff is doing over at Mainland is phenomenal. They are going to have Mainland competing at the highest level for as long as they are there. As the coach of the rival school, I’m excited knowing that this rivalry is going to be everything and then some.”
In his first year as the head coach of the Mustangs, Swedlund’s team hit the ground running this season with a 7-3 start. They took down solid teams including Lower Cape May Regional and Holy Spirit and were a fraction away from beating the three-time defending Cape-Atlantic League champion Raiders.
“I thought both sides played well and it was a fun game to be a part of,” Swedlund said. “Obviously, we are not happy with the result but the best thing about it is that our season is not over. We get to get better tomorrow and come back to work.”
One area that was nearly flawless for the Mustangs was the face-off. Harrison Gurwicz took all 10 face-offs for Mainland and won each of them. The junior’s dominance gave his team control of the ball after every stoppage of play, which gave LaMonaca and the offense more shots against Burger.
“I thought we were prepared but did not execute as well as we could have,” Swedlund said. “We made a couple of mistakes … so I think if we see these guys again, we must relax and remember it’s a lacrosse game. Mistakes are going to happen and we must worry about the next play because that’s all you can work on.”
Anthony Eaton has started every game at goalie for the Mustangs and has been strong in his first season as the regular starter. The senior saved eight shots against Ocean City and kept Mainland in the game alongside his defensive front.
Both coaches brought up the possibility of meeting each other in the Cape-Atlantic League tournament.
“I have a weird feeling that we will see them again and that it will be a similar battle,” LaTorre said. “Maybe not the same score because I was thinking it would have been closer to 10-10 but both defenses and goalies really stood on their head.”
Ocean City and Mainland currently sit in first and second place of the American Division in the Cape-Atlantic League respectively, which gives the teams a solid chance to meet again in the CAL tournament later in May.
Before the teams can even think about a rematch, the second half of the regular season is ready to begin.
Ocean City will play four straight home games beginning at 2 p.m. May 3 against Southern Regional High School (5-3). The next two games will be against Kingsway High School on May 5. and Holy Spirit High School on May 8. Both matchups will start at 4 p.m. with the Holy Spirit game being a potential major factor in which teams make the CAL tournament.
Mainland already got its game against Holy Spirit out of the way earlier this year with a convincing 11-4 win. The Mustangs’ next game against a CAL opponent will be at home against Egg Harbor Township High School at 12:30 p.m. May 3. It is the second to last home game currently scheduled for the Mustangs this year.
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
