Devon Prep lacrosse squad takes a step up, falls to powerhouse La Salle
NEWTOWN SQUARE >> As the Devon Prep lacrosse players ran onto Delco Christian’s turf field Tuesday afternoon to face LaSalle College High School, the Tide sported a perfect 5-0 Catholic League record.
About 90 minutes later, that record became 5-1 as LaSalle, the 2019 PIAA Class 3A state champions, dealt the Tide their first league loss of the season.
Devon Prep head coach Mark Consolo looked upon the defeat as a learning experience for the Tide (5-4 overall, 5-1 Catholic League.)
“The game’s quicker when you face a team like this,” said Consolo. “Since Coach [Bill] Leahy left in 2019, they really haven’t missed a beat. His coaching staff and those players, they’ve kept that winning culture going, and that’s something we can look at as the ultimate goal. We want to be able to compete with these guys, and keep that going.”
Prior to the Tide’s 19-2 defeat Tuesday, Devon Prep had outscored its five Catholic League foes – Cardinal O’Hara, Archbishop Carroll, Conwell Egan, Father Judge and Archbishop Wood – by a combined margin of 72-25.
“We’ve been playing hard, and this is the best start to a season that we’ve had,” said Consolo. “This was a great challenge for us today, our players were excited for the game. Obviously, we have a lot to learn, but we’re proud of our players for the fight and the heart they had today. If they can just have that identity the rest of the season, they’re going to have some success down the road. It’s a culture that they’re building, and we’re proud of them for it.”
LaSalle’s victory improved the Explorers’ record to 8-1. Their only loss of the season was to Haverford School on March 31.
After LaSalle got off to a 5-0 first quarter lead Tuesday with some crisp passing and clinical precision, the Tide battled the visitors closely in the second period. Devon Prep senior midfielder Declan Thompson’s goal with 10:25 left in the period cut the Explorers’ lead to 5-1, and the Tide allowed only two goals the rest of the quarter.
“I thought Devon Prep came out and played hard the first half, gave us a good run for our money,” said LaSalle head coach Rob Forster. “Devon Prep played good defense in the second period; they’re very well-coached.”
LaSalle goalie Luke Hreshko was active in net, making nine saves (six in the first half).
“Luke had a good game,” said Forster. “Devon Prep put a lot of pressure on us, and he had to make some good saves.”
In the third quarter, LaSalle outscored the Tide 8-0 with some sharp defense and a well-balanced attack.
By game’s end, LaSalle had a 19-2 win, with 11 different players scoring for the Explorers (8-1). LaSalle’s only loss this season was to Haverford School.
“I thought today was a pretty good effort,” said Forster. “I can’t really pick one game as our best game of the season, I think we’ve got to keep growing as a team, keep working hard in practice, so that we’re playing our best by June.”
With 2:57 left in Tuesday’s game, Devon Prep junior attack Dan Brown tallied the Tide’s second goal of the game. Brown has scored 39 goals and dished out 11 assists so far this season.
Other top scorers for Devon Prep this spring have been senior attack Joe Koroly (10 goals, 11 assists) and junior attack Tyler Kenneson (15 goals, 14 assists).
“Dan is super athletic, very physical, the best shooter on the team and a leader on offense,” said Consolo. “Joe’s had some big games for us and has one of the hardest shots on the team. Tyler has good vision out there, and is a good finisher.”
Other Tide contributors this spring include freshman midfielder Niko D’Alessandro (nine goals this season), senior midfielder Declan Thompson and senior Nadir Bryant, who scooped up four ground balls in the first half against LaSalle Tuesday.
“Niko is around the crease, very active, and he always finds the ball,” said Consolo. “He’s in the areas that a lot of guys are dodging, they find him, and he’s a good finisher. Declan can dodge well on offense, then get back and play great defense on the other side of the field. The team kind of feeds off Nadir’s energy – he is a vocal leader and high intensity player, always encouraging communication on team defense, and a key player in the clearing game.”
The Tide have some solid defenders, including senior goalie Liam Davies, senior JP Schuller, junior Jack Friend and sophomore Cole Brassington.
“Liam is an experienced player with quick hands, and quarterbacks our defensive rotations,” said Consolo. “JP is a very physical player, great on ground balls as a long pole. Jack is super athletic, plays very well 1v1 defense. Cole does it all for us – he primarily likes playing goalie, but he transitioned into a defensive pole this year to add depth to our defense – he’s very physical, athletic, and a playmaker.”
Another contributor has been junior midfielder Chris Walton, who has scored a dozen goals and dished out 11 assists this season.
“Chris plays with a lot of heart,” said Consolo. “We ask a lot out of him on face off wings, taking hard dodges on offense, then getting back on the defensive side staying on for rides.”
A number of Devon Prep seniors will be playing lacrosse in college next fall, including Koroly (Immaculata), Bryant (Stevenson) and Shuller (DePauw University in Indiana).
Next year, the Devon Prep boys’ lacrosse team will no longer be playing its home games on Delco Christian’s field – the Tide will have their own home turf field. For the past few years, the Devon Prep boys’ lacrosse squad has included some players from Delco Christian, but for the spring 2022 season, Devon Prep and Delco Christian will compete as separate boys’ lacrosse teams.
“The co-op is ending this year,” said Consolo. “We have a few guys on our team this year from Delco Christian, and they’re good family – the relationships carry on beyond lacrosse.
“We try to form [relationships] as the basis of our team – it’s more than just players coming together after school. We want to stick up for each other on the field, and we need to carry those types of relationships forward if we want to succeed in the future.”
LaSalle 19, Devon Prep 2
LaSalle 5 2 8 4 – 19
Devon Prep 0 1 0 1 – 2
LaSalle goals: Kelly 3, Huntley 3, Fix 2, Lazasz 3, T. Vandegrift 2, J. Vandegrift, Sweitzer, Oppenheimer, Mehlmann, Monzo, Bracken.
Devon Prep goals: Thompson, Brown.
Goalie saves: LA – Hreshko 9; DP – Davies 9.
