DEVON >> It was a mid-season, non-conference clash that could very well be repeated in about seven weeks during the PIAA Class 2A Playoffs. That’s how good – and evenly matched – Bishop Shanahan and Devon Prep are in boys’ lacrosse.
The Eagles registered a key road win Monday with a 14-11 triumph over the Tide that was entertaining and illuminating. And Shanahan won it the hard way, finding a way to overcome big deficits in key statistical areas like shots on goal (19-27) and faceoff wins (8-19).
“If we see (Devon) again, we will be playing our best lacrosse,” said senior Joe Devine, who spearheaded an Eagles’ attack that came up big in a shootout.
“We did a great job placing our shots and making the most of our opportunities. We didn’t settle for good looks, but tried to get great looks.”
Shanahan improves to 10-1 overall and is No. 2 in the latest District 1 2A Power Rankings. The Eagles lone loss came against Ches-Mont foe Downingtown East, the only unbeaten 3A team in the district.
The Tide fall to 9-3 overall, but are 5-1 in the Philadelphia Catholic League, which is good for a second place tie.
“It was a high-tempo game and we knew we would have to match (Shanahan’s) intensity level, and I think we executed it well,” said Devon head coach Mark Consolo.
“The fight and the no-quit mentality was there for us. So we are proud of that.”
Trailing early, the Eagles took the lead for good with a 5-0 scoring run midway through the first half. It turned a 3-1 deficit into a 7-3 lead in the span of just eight minutes, and included two goals by Devine, and a goal and assist from freshman attacker Nate Kennedy.”
“This was a trap-game for us,” said Shanahan head coach Jon Heisman. “We went double overtime against Unionville last Thursday (a 9-8 win), and we have three more games this week. But I told the kids a ‘W’ is a ‘W.’”
The Eagles led the entire second half, but The Tide kept up the pressure and never let up. Facing an 8-4 halftime deficit, Devon’s Eammon Donovan score the first two goals of the second half, and both came off of faceoff wins by junior Zach Sebra, who hails from Exton.
“(Devon) did a great job punching back and keeping it close,” Devine said.
Shanahan responded immediately with a three-goal surge that started with another goal by Devine, and then junior Declan Miller and Kennedy made it 11-6 with 3:38 on the clock in the third.
Devon made one last push on an assist and goal by West Chester native Nico D’Alessandro in less than a minute, but Devine and Kennedy countered once again to make it 13-8 midway through the final period.
“We kept trying to narrow the gap, but it was tough to do,” Consolo said. “(Shanahan’s) goalie (Dom Napoli) made some big stops.”
In all, Napoli stopped 16 shots, and five came in the fourth. Senior Nick Walton and Donovan – both midfielders from Berwyn – added goals to slice the margin to four, but Devon ran out of time.
“Dom was outstanding,” Heisman said. “It was one of the best games he’s had. The only goals he allowed he had no chance, basically. And we needed that from him.
“Defensively, we just gave up too many goals on transition. We gave (Devon) five layups.”
That’s why it was so important that the Eagles made the most of their scoring chances. Devine led the way with five goals, Kennedy added three goals and an assist, and junior Mack Manley chipped in two goals and an assist.
“We played (Devon) the previous three years that I’ve been here and we leaned on our defense in all three,” Devine recalled.
“Today our defense knows they didn’t play as well as they usually do, but our offense is good enough this season to where we don’t have to rely as much on our defense every single game. We can score some goals.”
Heisman added: “(Devon) killed us in the faceoff X, so they had the ball a lot of the time. And we had to clear against a 10-man ride, but we made some adjustments.
“It was a good learning experience for us against something that we haven’t seen. But when we got it down there, our offense took care of it. We worked our inside game and got some really good looks.”
Donovan and junior Ryan Kane paced the Tide with four goals apiece. Walton added two goals and D’Alessandro chipped in a goal and three assists. In the second half, Donovan had three shots bounce off a post or the crossbar.
“That’s the game of lacrosse,” Consolo said. “One inch one way or the other can make a big difference.”
On faceoffs, Sebra notched 11 of his 19 wins in the second half going against three different Shanahan players.
“Zach did an awesome job on face offs. He was definitely a difference maker,” Consolo added.
Bishop Shanahan 14, Devon Prep 11
Bishop Shanahan 4 4 3 3 — 14
Devon Prep 3 1 4 3 — 11
Bishop Shanahan goals: Devine 5, Manley 2, Kennedy 3, Miller, Bracken, Weber, Mullen.
Devon Prep goals: Donovan 4, Kane 4, Walton 2, D’Alessandro,
Goalie saves: Napoli (BS) 16; Pascale (DP) 5.
