2 weeks Ago By Neil Geoghegan
DOWNINGTOWN – The cream is rising to the top of the Ches-Mont boys’ lacrosse standings, and two of the top four squared off Tuesday.A week after becoming the first league team to knock off Downingtown East since 2021, West Chester Rustin cleared a second consecutive hurdle by finishing strong to better Bishop Shanahan, 8-5, on the road. It moves the Golden Knights to 8-0 in the Ches-Mont and sets up an intriguing first place showdown Thursday as Rustin hosts 7-0 Downingtown West.
“This is a really big win for us,” said Knights’ junior attacker Leo Flores. “We’ve been looking forward to this game for a while to see how we are doing. With wins over (Downingtown) East and now Shanahan, I think we are ready to take on Downingtown West.
”Now 10-2 overall, Rustin’s win streak is now at eight in a row, and the squad was fifth in the District 1 3A power rankings heading in. The only negative Tuesday for the Knights was that senior standout Aaron Cotter suffered a knee injury (more on that later).Clinging to a 5-4 fourth quarter lead and momentum on the Eagles’ side, Flores notched the game-winning goal with 5:33 on the clock after taking a pass from teammate Jackson Lamb.
Rustin then scored two more insurance goals the rest of the way on an assist (to Nick Santengelo) and a goal from sophomore midfielder Jack Freney.“It was an electric goal, and I haven’t had too many this season,” said Flores, who punctuated his tally with a fist pump.“It wasn’t really a possession where we should be taking a shot but I saw a defender turn his head so I took the opportunity to cut, get the pass and shoot.
”The play came moments after Knights’ head coach Kevin Philibin had called a timeout.“We were turning the ball over, so after that last timeout we talked about understanding score and situation,” Philibin explained. “We had to settle down, recognize when things aren’t there.
“The look Leo had, we would take that shot 100 percent of the time in the first quarter, but not necessarily in the fourth up a goal. We had to kind of dial it back, but if we’re feeling it and can get open inside, these guys have the green light to go.”The setback halts a four-game winning streak for Shanahan (5-2, 10-2 overall).
The Eagles were coming off a 5-4 win at Conestoga and now have a tough road game Thursday at 6-1 Downingtown East.“We still have a shot (in the Ches-Mont) – we’re not Swiss cheese,” said Shanahan head coach Jon Heisman. “Everybody in (class) 2A better watch out because we are battling all of these big boys.
“We want to be battle hardened, especially on Thursday. We haven’t beaten Downingtown East in many years.”Lamb put Rustin ahead for good midway through the first quarter, and Cotter made it 2-0 after forcing a turnover deep in Eagles’ territory.
But he injured his right knee on the play, limped off and did not return.“Aaron’s been a leader for us and a guy we can always count on to do the little things and the hard plays when it’s needed,” Philibin said.“We are hoping it’s just a bone bruise or something that is maybe two or three weeks (off) or maybe even less than that.
(The trainer’s) didn’t think it’s major. But freshman Luke Britton stepped in and scored two goals in his place and did an awesome job.”Britton’s first made it 3-1 in the second period, but less than a minute later Shanahan senior Christian Touey hit pay dirt, and it was 3-2 after a first half that was a bit sloppy for both offenses.
It was the Eagles’ first game in six days and the team did not practice from last Thursday to Sunday due to the Easter weekend. The Knights had an eight-day layover between games.“Were we rusty? Probably,” Heisman said.
“Both defenses took away the strengths of the opposition,” Philibin added.“This isn’t a West Chester game, but this has turned into its own little rivalry. Both sides got a little over anxious, were gripping their sticks a little tight, and then when things settled down, it turned into a nice battle.
”Rustin notched the only two goals of the third period – another by Britton and a second from Lamb – to provide a little breathing room at 5-2. But in the opening six minutes of the fourth Shanahan’s Nate Kennedy and Declan Miller each scored to slice the margin to one and set up the finish.“We battled,” Heisman said.
“We wanted to prove, not to anybody else but to ourselves, that we can play with teams like Rustin.“They’ve had our number. We’ve only beaten them once in the last six tries.
Today just wasn’t our day. We just didn’t do enough offensively, and we had way too many mistakes clearing the zone.”The Eagles went 11 of 17 from the faceoff X, but the Knights wound up with a 16-11 edge in shots on goal.
“We are proud of our guys and the way they played,” Philibin said. “Shanahan gave us some different looks on defense and we were able to react. And once we settled into things a bit, we played well.
”Senior Mack Manley paced Shanahan with two goals and an assist. Lamb countered with two goals and two assists for Rustin.“In the second half, our stick skills improved and we were more dialed in on offense,” Flores said.
“But our defense played a big role in this win. Our goalie (Will Brockett) played his butt off.”West Chester Rustin 8, Bishop Shanahan 5W.
C. Rustin 2 1 2 3 — 8Bishop Shanahan 1 1 0 3 — 5W.C.
Rustin goals: Lamb 2, Britton 2, Flores, Cotter, Freney, Santangelo.Bishop Shanahan goals: Manley 2, Miller, Kennedy, Touey.Goalie saves: Brockett (R) 4; Napoli (BS) 8.
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