OCEAN CITY – When Luc Swedlund took over as the head coach of the Mainland Regional High School boys lacrosse team two years ago, his mission was to elevate the team to compete at the highest level, including against the Mustangs’ biggest rival – the Ocean City Red Raiders.
Senior Joe Eyde described this year’s Mustangs as “undeniable” after they knocked off the four-time Cape-Atlantic League Tournament champion Ocean City High School 8-6 on May 21.
It was Mainland’s first win over Ocean City since 2018, snapping a 12-game Raider win streak over the Mustangs and securing a CAL tournament title in the process.
“Ever since I got this job here at Mainland it has been my goal to get this program to a level to play with Ocean City and I feel we finally got past that wall today,” Swedlund said. “It was an awesome lacrosse environment today and my hat’s off to Ocean City. They are so well coached and I have a lot of respect for coach Joe LaTorre.”
“We finally got to do it,” four-year starter Eyde said when asked what the game meant to the team and the seniors. “This is such a big emotional win for us all. It’s all we have been talking about in our locker room especially this last week.”
Before they received the trophy, emotions were running about as fast as the Mustangs were rushing towards goalie Garrett Chew in celebration after the final whistle sounded.
Sophomore Ryan Scannell has many more battles against Ocean City left in his career, but said after the game he and the rest of the team wanted the game so much because of their seniors.
“It was a very nerve-racking back and forth game, but we do it for each other,” Scannell said. “We wanted this game so badly for our seniors. We believed we could do it and remembered who we are doing it for and why.”
The last three matchups between the two teams had been decided by two goals or fewer, including last year’s CAL title game that Ocean City won 9-7. Mainland and Ocean City played to an even 5-5 tie through the first three quarters and the game was put into the hands of the best players on the field.
Ocean City’s Otter Donohue previously tied the game at five goals apiece earlier in the game and started off the fourth quarter with another goal to take what turned out to be the Raiders’ last lead of the game.
Two days after breaking the school single-game scoring record with 10 goals in the CAL semifinals against Cedar Creek High School, Scannell brought the Mustangs down the home stretch.
He tied the game at 6-6 two minutes after Donohue scored and watched as both goalies and defenses battled until the final two minutes of play.
Off a save by Chew, Mainland defenseman Ford DeSalle chucked a pass from his own side of the field deep behind the Raider defense and found Jack Gregory, who managed to barely stretch out and make the catch. The pass successfully got the entire defense out of position and allowed Gregory to find Scannell wide open in front of the net for an easy go-ahead goal.
“That was the turning point, that was the finisher,” Scannell said. “When he made that catch, I was screaming for it. I was so wide open and excited after that play.”
The combination of Gregory and Scannell scored one last time for an insurance goal. Gregory finished the game with two goals and two assists.
Scannell hit the back of the net four times, including the final three goals of the game to give Mainland the win.
“He is a guy who has been in this moment last year and he felt he left a little bit on the table,” Swedlund said. “He stepped into a huge role today and did exactly what we were asking of him with the ball, and I am so proud of him.”
The insurance goal seemed rather necessary after a tight-knit first half in which no lead was safe for more than a minute.
Ocean City got on the scoreboard first with a score by Anthony Pontari in the second quarter. However, his goal was matched by Gregory 40 seconds later in what became the trend of the first half.
Kevin Entress broke the tie with five minutes before halftime but the Raiders did not have much time to celebrate after Mustang Liam Kennedy scored off a single pass from the face-off in only six seconds.
Down to a minute left it was the Mustangs’ turn to take the lead with Gregory scoring his second goal and making it a 3-2 game.
Just like the other two scoring instances, the team trailing immediately responded with a score as it only took Raider Liam Kazmarck 18 seconds to find the back of the net and tie it once again.
The main catalyst of Mainland’s quick responses was senior Harrison Gurwicz and his proficiency in the face-off circle. He won 82 percent of his face-offs against Ocean City and pulled a rabbit out of his hat to end the half.
After Kazmarck scored, Gurwicz won the face-off and passed the ball behind his back down the field to Eyde, who scored with only eight seconds left to break the tie before halftime. The senior duo showed the underclassmen how to get it done.
“I’ve always known that these seniors are special and that they are leaders,” Swedlund said. “They care so much about this and their teammates. For them to get this I am so happy for them and I always knew they could do this. I just needed them to believe and finally these guys believed.”
The Raiders battled through everything Mainland threw at them and still were one or two plays away from winning the CAL once again. Ocean City relinquished the conference tournament crown to Mainland after holding onto it for the first four years of the tourney’s existence.
For their efforts throughout the season with their tough regular-season schedule, the Raiders will begin the South Jersey Group II playoffs as the No. 1 seed. All their postseason games will be at home starting with Ewing High School, which was set for May 26. Afterwards the Raiders would have to wait nearly a week for their quarterfinal round game on June 1.
As a part of the South Jersey Group III bracket, the Mustangs earned the No. 3 seed and will host West Windsor-Plainsboro South on May 28. Game time is 4 p.m. The quarterfinals will also be held on June 1 for Group III.
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
