Robinson's Thomas Petrocci Scores Three Goals In Lacrosse Victory

The Robinson Rams hosted the Westfield Bulldogs Tuesday evening in Concorde District lacrosse action. With the season still young, Robinson brought an undefeated record into the contest while Westfield entered at 2-1. The competitive Concorde District, which Robinson Coach Matt Curran likened to the Big East in basketball promised a close game. Robinson prevailed, defeating Westfield 11-8, bringing their record to 5-0.

As the game got underway, the bitter chill of the March evening settled in as fans in attendance huddled under blankets for warmth. However, both teams did not seem to be affected by the cold weather, darting out in the first quarter.

Westfield’s offense was aggressive early, challenging Robinson junior goalie Louis Lukaczyk (20 saves) with reckless abandon. The Bulldogs attempted 12 first-quarter shots, converting only three for scores. Robinson’s defenders pushed back, not backing down from Westfield’s fast-paced offensive strategy.

Robinson, boasting one of the Concorde District’s more traditionally competitive lacrosse programs, was efficient in the game’s opening half. The team used their shot selections wisely, which yielded successful results. Senior midfielder Thomas Petrocci and junior attacker Alex Barber combined for four of the Rams’ five first-half goals. Junior midfielder Hunter Jasien added a single goal of his own, as well.

For Westfield, Michael Garcia scored two goals, while senior midfielder Michael Morton, and senior attacker Ryan O’Sullivan scored a goal apiece.

As the first half ended, Robinson held a 5-4 lead over visiting Westfield.

Westfield struggled in the third quarter as a stingy Ram defense held strong. The Bulldogs scored only one goal in the third quarter on five attempts. Robinson took seven shots, scoring on two.

The game’s final quarter provided offense as the teams combined to score six goals. Westfield threatened briefly after O’Sullivan scored with 4:52 remaining in the game, bringing the Bulldogs within two goals. However, Robinson senior midfielder Chris Garcia’s goal with 2:42 left to play destroyed any hopes Westfield had of coming back. As time expired, Robinson won 11-8.

Following the game, Westfield Coach Phil Polizzotti spoke about his team’s performance,

“They’re [Robinson] a great team. We gave the ball up a little too much, and when you do that a great team is going to take advantage of it. We just had too many mistakes and they didn’t, that’s the difference. It’s still early and we’ll hopefully take this and learn from it.”

Despite being pleased with the victory, Robinson Coach Matt Curran said that there is still room for improvement,

“We could have shot the ball a little bit better. They have an excellent goalie and our shots weren’t placed well. We played well enough to win but we still have a lot to work on. We had a lot of transition goals and took advantage of the athleticism that we have. We were pretty evenly matched but caught them in situations where we could use our speed against them and that helped us out.”