05/12/23 - Man, do I get spoiled watching some great high school lacrosse here in Maryland. This was the second MIAA quarterfinal I got to catch after watching the Loyola/St. Paul's game. I just love the feel of a night game at St. Mary's Pascal Field. They draw a great crowd, including a ton of kids running around behind the goal around the concession stand. The hill across from the stands is lined with people. The stands are right on top of the field and there aren't many seats, which makes it seem even more packed. It's just a great scene. Oh - and whoever is spinning the music in the press box throughout the game is on point.

While the home crowd was disappointed the Saints didn't come away with the win, they got to watch a good, high-level game. The BL fans came in force, including a pumped up student section. BL gave them what they were looking for as they brought the Lake Show on the road.

The Lakers, took the W behind stellar play from goalie Dylan Cadigan, 6G,1A from attackman Spencer Ford and strong face-off play from Parker Hoffman to go along with his 3 goals. BL was also strong on D, clears, transition and controlling the middle of the field. The Lakers played a complete game in the win.

St. Mary's had their moments, too. By the time I got there and got set on the sideline, it was already halfway through the first quarter. At the end of the 1st, BL was leading 3-2. Then, it was 8-2 heading into halftime. The Saints didn't quit, though, and stormed back with a 5-3 3rd quarter to pull within striking range at 11-7.

BL wasn't about to let them back all the way. The D held strong and they took care of the ball to seal the win and prevent any hopes of St. Mary's finding a run.

Nick Golini led the Saints on the scoreboard with 4 goals. St. Mary's will say goodbye to a large senior class who have played some incredible lacrosse over the past few years. While they're heartbroken their season ended short of the MIAA semifinals, they can take pride in knowing they've been playing some of the best lacrosse in the country.

BL will now take on #1-seeded McDonogh in a rematch of last year's epic, last-second loss in the semifinals. It's going to be ridiculous.

Notes:

- Once again, I shot pics in the first half and video in the second.

- Please check out www.proudlacrosse.com to see more vids and photos.

- Most of the video was shot with a Sony FX3 and Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens. The stills and some smaller video clips were shot with a Sony A7iv with both the above lens and also the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens.

Thanks for watching and reading!

Joe