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WEST GOSHEN – A little over five weeks ago, West Chester East’s head boys’ lacrosse coach Nate Baur suffered a heart attack.
It took place on March 13, one day before the season opener at Daniel Boone. He wound up missing the first two matches of 2025, but returned for the next four outings, including a tense, down-to-the-final-second 11-10 victory Tuesday over visiting Coatesville.
“Game’s like this is why I keep showing up every day,” Baur said. “This is a fun group to be around.
“One thing I was thinking about in the hospital was getting back to my guys.”
It was a situation that could have derailed any season, but thanks to a lot of help from Baur’s coaching staff, it didn’t happen. The Vikings are now 1-2 in the Ches-Mont National, and 2-4 overall after halting a four-game skid.
“It was real tough for me. It was definitely not how I wanted to start the season, but I am feeling much better,” he said. “I get tired, but I have a new outlook on life.
“I didn’t want to miss the first hardcore week of practice and the first two games. It really could derail some teams, so kudos my staff. They always have my back. With the experience they bring to the table, I had faith we would be fine and continue to grow.”
East raced out to a 4-0 lead Tuesday, but were never able to shake the Red Raiders (0-2, 2-4), who fought back to tie it twice in the second half. Coatesville registered three goals in a row to knot the score at 10-10 with just under five minutes left in regulation.
But with 2:24 on the clock, Vikings’ junior Scottie DeHaven took a perfect pass from teammate Jackson Maits and notched the game-winner. It wasn’t over, however, until the East defense survived two Coatesville possessions in the final 144 seconds.
“We have a lot of work to do, we just can’t hang our heads,” said Raiders’ head coach Bruce Shallis. “We have a bunch of winnable games toward the tail end of the season that could get us where we want to be.
“It’s a cliché, but we have to keep grinding.”
The game-winner was DeHaven’s only goal of the afternoon.
“We fought until the end, and this was a big win,” DeHaven said. “You have to finish that in the crease. The net was wide open.”
It was the final salvo in a second half of runs. Trailing 7-4 at the half, Coatesville reeled off three straight goals in the opening 4:07 to tie it following a goal by freshman Jameson McGeehan. Then it was the Vikings’ turn with three in a row, including two by senior Brody Moore and one from Andrew Kirk to make it 10-7 with 7:10 remaining.
“We needed to get the momentum back,” Moore said.
And finally the Clouser brothers took over to knot the score once again to set up the finish. Magnus Clouser scored a goal and delivered an assist to fellow senior Matiss Clouser to make it 10-9, and then with 4:54 remaining, Magnus took another pass from Matiss to even the score.
In all, the Raiders had an 18-14 edge in shots on goal, but it wasn’t enough.
“For whatever reason, there are some games where you hit the poles, hit the goalie. That’s what happened today,” Shallis said.
“The opportunities were there all day, we just have to capitalize on them.”
Moore, long-pole Ryan Somers, Logan Cummings and Kirk all scored to put East in front 4-0 after the first period.
“It was huge. It really set the tone,” Baur said.
“We started the game with more energy and put some goals in the net,” Moore added.
Coatesville responded with the next three goals, but the Raiders were never able to take the lead.
“The discipline our kids showed on the field, controlling the ball and keeping their heads in it, was really impressive,” Baur said.
“We are letting games slip away early on – that’s been the theme all season,” Shallis added. “That is something we have to correct.
“Finding the matchups is the key, and we should have exploited it a bit earlier. When we had our opportunities, we were there. The book shows that we had a ton of shots.”
The Clouser brothers led the way for the Raiders with three goals apiece. Moore and Kirk scored three times for the Vikings, and Kirk added two assists.
“We definitely understand what it is going to take,” Baur pointed out. “Our league is an awfully tough one. Today our guys showed that working together is better.”
West Chester East 11, Coatesville 10
Coatesville 0 4 3 3 — 10
West Chester East 4 3 1 3 — 11
Coatesville goals: Mag. Clouser 3, Mat. Clouser 3, McGeehan, Van Orden, Moreno 2.
West Chester East goals: Moore 3, Kirk 3, Cummings 2, Kessler, Somers, DeHaven
Goalie saves: Yoder (C) 3; Hoffman (WCE) 8.
