The St. John’s men’s lacrosse team took a trip to Annapolis, Md. on Oct. 15 to take on the U.S. Naval Academy for a fall exhibition game. The Red Storm faced off against the Midshipmen in a five-quarter game in the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Eight different men on the team scored in the scrimmage including two of the team’s leading scorers, junior Jason DeBenedictis and sophomore Colin Duffy. DeBenedictis and Duffy scored a pair of goals.
The climax of the game came in the third-quarter when the Johnnies scored four goals all within a few minutes, backed by well-executed offensive attacks. Senior Nick Heller scored on a right-handed toss which started the streak. Then, Debenedictis scored one following some fancy stick work and avoiding three defenders.
Duffy then came around the crease at full speed and scored low with a left-handed shot, and Brian Gaffney finished up the four-score streak with a with a shot from eight yards out.
Freshmen Mike Madsen and Colin Bosak also added goals to improve the Red Storm’s score.
Coach Miller jumped at the opportunity to face off against the skilled Navy team. The Midshipmen finished 2016 with a run to the NCAA Quarterfinals and a No. 15/9 ranking in the national polls, according to redstormsports.com.
Prior to the matchup the team and the coaching staff were fortunate enough to take an all-access tour of the Under Armour Global Headquarters in Baltimore, Md. Under Armour has been the official athletics brand rep for St. John’s since 2013.
The St. John’s student-athletes and coaches enjoyed the team bonding experience and the opportunity to prepare for their season.
