OCEAN CITY – The Red Raiders boys lacrosse team rode a dominant first half to a 13-3 home win over the Mainland Mustangs Thursday, April 28.
“It’s definitely a game we mark on our schedule every year,” said Raider Pat Grimley. “We look forward to it and it’s a fun atmosphere to play in.”
Ocean City took an early lead just 1:02 in after winning the opening draw and patiently waiting for an opening for Grimley to rip one home inside the far post.
Shortly after the Raiders turned defense into offense, jumping a passing lane to break out in transition where Grimley finished with a top corner shot.
The Raiders were then forced to kill off a pair of penalties, during which Kyle Hendricks shined on defense.
After the penalties released Cole Young made it 3-0 just more than four minutes in and 14 seconds later Ryan Ireland made a great individual play as the long stick went coast-to-coast for his first goal on the year.
Grimley completed a hat trick in the final minute of the first quarter with a spin move to the slot before launching the shot off the post and in.
The Raiders led 5-0 after the first quarter, then outscored Mainland 4-1 in the second.
“That first half is how we want to play,” Grimley said. “We came out well, we just didn’t finish the game like we should.”
The second half played out much differently, the Mustangs stepping up their play and the Raiders letting up.
“There were two adjustments,” said Mainland head coach Clayton Smith. “We started locking up their key players which took some time. And they just came out with some fight. It was more them coming out with a fight than any adjustments we made. They just came out ready to play.”
“I think we came out with the wrong mentality,” Grimley said. “We came out and thought we were going to roll them. They put up a fight in the second half; we barely outscored them there. But props to them for coming out firing, not giving up.”
The Raiders racked up the penalties as the game went on.
“It’s a physical game any time we play Ocean City,” Smith said. “From both sides there are some good hits and some bad hits. But nobody lost their head, nobody lost control, they just kept playing.”
“We just played undisciplined,” Grimley said. “We were going for flashy plays instead of the right play. We weren’t moving the ball the way we usually do. We didn’t play our type of lacrosse.”
However, Mainland wasn’t able to take advantage and trim the deficit.
“I’ve got to give Ocean City’s defense credit,” Smith said. “They definitely sealed the crease. It was hard to get through.”
The teams scored a goal apiece in the third quarter.
“We dropped down to our competition,” Grimley said. “We had no intensity, we thought the game was over, and it clearly wasn’t. They kept fighting.”
The Raiders outscored the Mustangs 3-1 in the final quarter for the 13-3 win, three weeks after taking the first meeting 18-7.
Grimley finished with 5 goals and 4 assists.
Mainland’s Joe DeGaetano had 2 goals.
“We were a little bit more prepared this time around,” Smith said. “We definitely played a better game this time. The last time I said we lost but we weren’t defeated. This time we fought to the end. That was one thing we talked about at the half – we said, ‘You’re playing your heart out.’ They did that the whole game, we’re just playing against a superior team. We know that and we wanted to make the best statement we could against them. It was much better this time.”
The Mustangs are in the midst of a tough stretch of games at a crucial point in the season.
“We have two big match-ups coming up,” Smith said. “We have a rematch with Holy Spirit and a rematch with (Egg Harbor Township), and the way we’ve put together the last few games, we’re welcoming those as well. We’re a different team than we were earlier in the season.”
Mainland should be battle tested come playoff time.
“Right now, for what we have this season, we’re sitting pretty good for the first round or two of the postseason,” Smith said. “For the second round we might even be back here. It’s either going to be Ocean City or Clearview. They just have to keep playing the way they are right now. Keep playing their hearts out and put together 48 minutes of good, quality lacrosse to the best of their ability.”
The Raiders, meanwhile, look to fine tune their game down the stretch.
Head coach Joe LaTorre declined to comment.
“We hope we can turn it up,” Grimley said. “Everything has to be crisp from here on out – our slides, our finishes, everything has to be good smart plays.”
Ocean City will travel to EHT to play the Eagles at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 4.
Mainland will head to Absegami to play the Braves the same day and time.
By KYLE McCRANE/Sentinel Sports
