By Neil Geoghegan
ngeoghegan@21st-centurymedia.com
@NeilMGeoghegan on Twitter
WEST CHESTER >> The first installment in the boys’ lacrosse version of the ‘battle to win West Chester’ went to Rustin on Wednesday evening at Henderson.
The Knights held off the Warriors, 8-6, in an early season Ches-Mont opener for both, and we learned a couple important things: that Henderson is much improved, and that youthful Rustin still has a way to go before becoming a league and district contender as it was in 2023.
“We are not as good as we think we are,” said Knights’ head coach Kevin Philibin. “We have the talent and some depth, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.
“It’s a long season and if we don’t keep improving, we will get knocked down a peg or two.”
Rustin (3-0 overall) raced out to a 6-1 first half lead, but that didn’t seem to deter a feisty Henderson squad (2-3 overall) that won just four matches a year ago. The Warriors wound up scoring five of the last seven to keep things interesting, including two goals in the final 1:27.
“We were in this game – we just ran out of time,” said Henderson head coach Sean Evans.
“I think we are a lot better (than last season). We have guys that will grind every day, and that’s what you want. I’ve got a big senior class and some younger kids stepping up. We work hard every day and come out to compete every game.”
The Knights can be explosive on offense, but have struggled so far with consistency. Rustin scored the game’s first two goals, but didn’t create some space until it scored four goals in a five-minute stretch of the second quarter. Attacker Jackson Lamb had a goal and an assist in the surge, and the other goals came from Adam Clute, Danny Batchelor and Jack O’Hora.
“We were moving the ball really well, and we didn’t try to force anything,” said Lamb, a sophomore.
Senior midfielder Ryan Murphy scored a shorthanded goal for the Warriors to end the rally, and Rustin led 6-2 at the half.
“That’s lacrosse,” Evans said of the first half. “We turned the ball over a bit in transition, and (Rustin) got some mismatches and took advantage of it. But we regrouped, stayed calm and responded, so I am really proud of the guys.”
The Knights added one goal – by sophomore Nick Santangelo – over a 28 minute-stretch to make it 7-2. But Henderson’s Ryan Prete started the comeback by scoring off a fast-break pass from Murphy late in the third period. And then with 5:05 remaining Warriors’ senior midfielder Logan Goodwin made it 7-4.
“That’s a lot of our inexperience,” Philibin said. “We only have two seniors on offense, but as we’ve seen they can hit spurts where they put the ball in the net. But we also make a ton of mistakes.”
The most impactful goal of the outing came soon thereafter when Lamb took a pass from teammate Jack O’Hora and scored with 3:39 on the clock for Rustin. It wound up being important when Murphy later notched his second goal on the day and Prete registered his third in the final minute.
“I told our guys to keep their heads up and keep working,” Evans said. “We are right there and there is a long season to go.
“We started off a little slow today, but once we got settled, we regained our composure. We talk all the time about keeping composed, playing smart, and looking for open guys, and I think we did that.”
Tenth-graders Santangelo and Lamb combined to score four goals for the Knights. A junior, Nate Pechin chipped in a goal and an assist.
“We have some talent, but we also have some big holes to fill from last season,” Lamb said. “We had a lot of seniors (in 2023) and now is the chance for the younger guys.”
Henderson senior goaltender Luis Galan-Dominguez finished with a dozen saves, including five in the final period.
“Luis is a good leader for us,” Evans said. “He saw the ball well today and he was good on the clears.”
Junior Drew Gaffney wound up with nine faceoff wins for Rustin, but four came in the decisive fourth quarter.
“When it comes to cross-town rivalries, you can throw out the records,” Philibin summarized. “None of that stuff matters. I don’t think anybody on (Henderson’s) team has beaten us, so I know their seniors were trying extra hard to get one their last time through.
“By the end of the season, (Henderson) is going to be even more improved. They got a couple late goals to make it a little bit closer than we wanted it to be.”
West Chester Rustin 8, West Chester Henderson 6
W.C. Rustin 2 4 1 1 — 8
W.C. Henderson 1 1 1 3 — 6
W.C. Rustin goals: Lamb 2, Santangelo 2, O’Hora, Batchelor, Clute, Pechin.
W.C. Henderson goals: Prete 3, Murphy 2, Goodwin.
Goalie saves: Brockett (R) 9; Galan-Dominguez (H) 12.
