Strong Showing from Delea Seals Lacrosse Victory Versus Loomis

Big Red lacrosse defeated Loomis Chaffee 12-5 at home on Saturday in one of Exeter’s most important games of the season. Loomis, usually a dangerous opponent, was ultimately unable to overcome the team's strong combination of attack and defense.Going into the game, both teams were wary of each other’s strength, as the two have been fierce competitors for several years. Last year, Exeter defeated Loomis in a close game, winning 9-4. In the first quarter, both Exeter and Loomis started strong, and there was plenty of back –and-forth action. Exeter’s defense worked hard to keep their opponent away from the net, a difficult job thanks to Loomis’ several college-bound players. However, the defensive unit, led by the veteran core of senior co-captains Chris Keating and Matt Ryan and seniors Christian Ayscue and Stefan Soucy, managed to hold off the Pelicans, and senior goalie Colin Delea ably saved the few shots Loomis was able to take. Exeter scored three goals in the first and established their dominance on the field through good face-offs, strong offensive strategy and high energy."Our offense really clicked, and our defense shut down their stars," lower Michael Lackey said, adding that Delea was "unreal" in the net. Lackey had an excellent game as well, netting a hat trick and catapulting himself to the top of Exeter’s scoring leaderboard with 19 goals. The second quarter began similarly, but a Loomis player managed to fire a difficult shot into the back of Delea’s net. Soon after, senior Griffin Cassagne countered with another goal for Big Red, and the quarter ended on a high note. At the end of the first half, the score was 5-1, Exeter."Loomis seemed really invigorated after the first, and especially after halftime," upper Nick duPont said. "They started to get much more aggressive at our end, and worked hard." Loomis began the third quarter determined to cut down the deficit, and Exeter had to work even harder to defend against the relentless attack. The Pelicans quickly fired in four unanswered goals, but Exeter did not lose spirit and stayed strong at both ends of the field. Big Red responded with three more goals, bringing the total to 8-5.The boys really pulled it together in the final quarter and demonstrated their strength in all aspects of the game. Fierce defense kept Loomis away from the net and prevented them from scoring any more goals. Players such as Lackey and senior co-captain Nick Weigel were catalysts for many plays on attack, and Weigel led the scoring with four of the 12 goals in the game. Senior Dan Mini was also a key contributor, netting two goals. He has been a crucial member of the team throughout the season, spearheading Big Red’s attacking efforts.Overall, Saturday’s game was an excellent display of Exeter’s many abilities. "Everyone cut, we moved the ball well and were great in transition," Lackey said. "Loomis wasn’t able to take advantage of their transitions because we shut off the midfielders, and they weren’t able to get a quality shot because our defense shut down their offensive players." In all aspects of the game, Big Red played well, demonstrating their teamwork and enthusiasm on the field. The game ball was awarded to Delea, whose performance in net was vital against such a dangerous team.After such a well-earned victory, Exeter is looking positively towards their away game against Tabor next Saturday.