St. Anthony's tried to live up to '09 memories

When St. Anthony's embarked on the 2010 campaign, the ghosts of the '09 powerhouse were ever-present. The Friars had won the CHSAA boys lacrosse title and were considered among the top teams in the nation. Needless to say, this year's seniors initially struggled to provide a suitable encore.

"We got caught up in the comparisons to last year," coach Keith Wieczorek said. "Three of those guys were contributors to Division I programs."

According to senior midfielder and Under Armour All-American Tom Schreiber, the specter of '09 loomed large as this year's championship run began.

"Coming into this year, we had a high national ranking, and it's not like we were cocky or anything, but we wanted to live up to last year," Schreiber said.

After cruising to a 5-0 start, the Friars stumbled April 13 at Chaminade, dropping a 14-8 contest. That letdown against their fellow Long Island CHSAA power proved to be the season's turning point. The requisite changes went beyond X's and O's and defensive schemes. The seniors needed to be more proactive leaders, while the new varsity members had to subscribe to the team concept.

"Our seniors were an easy group to get along with, and the juniors put some self-issues and ego aside," Wieczorek said. "The seniors let everyone work through their individual issues. And little by little, they came together."

Despite an 8-7 loss to Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep on May 10, the Friars evened the score with Chaminade three days later with an 8-6 win. The win over Chaminade, coupled with the two losses, proved to be vital lessons for a powerhouse squad in search of an identity.

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"It was a big motivator for us in realizing that we were beatable," Schreiber said. "We saw that we could lose and still come together as a team, on and off the field."

Their resolve would be tested once more as the season came to a close. At C.W. Post's Hickox Field, they would meet Chaminade in a rubber match to determine the CHSAA champion.

The Friars trailed 8-7 with less than a minute remaining. Then Joe LoCasio's rocket smacked the back of the net back with 24 seconds remaining to force overtime.

"I don't think we ever quit," Wieczorek said. "We were waiting for somebody to make a play. In the overtime, they believed in each other and that somebody would make a play."

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That somebody was Colin Clive, who scored the league-clinching goal with 54 seconds left in overtime off a feed from Schreiber. "It was like a storybook ending," Schreiber said.

And with one goal, the ghosts of '09 were finally put to rest.