Sports
Boys Lax Defense is Both a Blessing and a Curse
Hilltoppers' aggressive defense haunts opponents, creates offensive opportunities for Summit.
Tenacious, swarming defense by the Summit boys lacrosse team has been both a blessing and a curse this season. It's been a blessing for their offensive unit, which has turned many of the team's forced turnovers into Hilltopper goals. Summit's aggressive defense has been a curse for their opponents, however, allowing just 48 goals in 21 games, an impressive 2.29 goals against average.
"You can't say enough about our defense," senior attacker Johnny Scioscia said. "They're absolutely amazing. We have absolute faith in them every single game. Working against them in practice makes us that much better."
On Wednesday night in the Group I State Championship against Madison, Summit's defense made their presence known throughout the game. Defenders Jules Godino, Joe Jaskolski, Bobby Lawrence, and Ryan Troy forced multiple Madison turnovers, many of which resulted in Hilltopper goals.
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"Any time we have a chance to double it, we go for it," said Troy, describing his defense's ability to swarm their opponent and force turnovers. "We just try to be as aggressive as we can."
Such stellar defense has limited the number of shots taken by Summit's opponents this season. When their opponents do get off a shot, however, Summit's All-American goalie, Brian Feeney, is almost always there to make the save.
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"Just having him in goal gives us confidence," Troy said.
Strong checks and constant pressure by the Hilltoppers' defense not only forces their opponents to lose the ball, but Summit players also have the hand-eye coordination needed to scoop up ground balls–a key factor in any lacrosse game.
Summit's Danny Feeney leads his team with 137 ground balls on the season (as well as 146 face off wins). Defenders Bobby Lawrence and Ryan Troy have 79 and 43 ground ball wins, respectively.
Summit's defenders hope that their aggressive play continues to wreak havoc for their opponents and create offensive opportunities for the Hilltoppers as they defend their NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title next week.
