CBA LACROSSE FALLS SHORT IN POSTSEASON PLAY

By Casey Krish

LINCROFT – Through all the success and riches cultivating in the hallways of Christian Brothers Academy athletics, the boys lacrosse team is no different.

The 2019 edition of the Colts may not have ended in the fashion that most entrenched in the program would have liked – falling in the Shore Conference Tournament championship game at Monmouth University, and in the state tournament’s second round. But despite the earlier-than- wanted exit, the Colts kept their reputation as one of the best programs in the Shore Conference alive and well.

Undefeated with a 7-0 mark in the A North division is no small feat in itself. The division boasted some of the top tier programs in the conference with the likes of Middletown South, Howell and Freehold Township. The run through its classification was painless, with all seven divisional games being won by 10 or more goals.

In a second meeting with the Patriots in the Shore Conference Tournament, CBA was also able to dispatch of their divisional foes, 9-3.

The 13-7 record, while not as attractive to the eye as some of the undefeated clubs dominating the state polls might boast, is a strong testament of the difficult schedule Christian Brothers Academy created for itself outside of the conference.

The first challenge came on March 27, opening day of the high school lacrosse season, when the Colts traveled to Ramsey to face the Ironmen of Don Bosco Prep, then No.13 in the NJ Advanced Media state polls. After scoring three goals in the opening quarter, the Colts offense was dormant and could only muster one goal over the final 36 minutes and fell, 12-4.

Just a week later, CBA made the trip to Chatham to face another squad that has been in the conversation as one of the best in New Jersey. The Colts battled through the first 24 minutes and had the game tied heading into halftime, but a late Chatham push handed them a 9-7 setback.

Despite the 2-3 start to the season, CBA had faced quality opponents in Don Bosco Prep, Chatham and Manasquan, who enters the postseason undefeated and with the services of Canyon Birch – the highest scorer in the history of New Jersey lacrosse.

CBA challenged its mettle with a fair share of out-of-state opponents as well. Among the non-NJSIAA opponents were the likes of Iona Prep and Chaminade out of New York, and St. John’s College High School out of Washington, DC.

Iona Prep defeated CBA, 10-9, thanks in part to a comeback effort late in the fourth quarter. CBA led, 7-4, entering the final frame but was unable to fend off the New York power.

The Colts picked up what amounts to their biggest victory on the year, defeating St. John’s, 10-7.

Christian Brothers had its fair share of scoring talent which provided the Colts with just under nine goals a game. Senior Connor Macrae led all scorers with 60 goals and 83 points. The elder statesman took a bump forward in the offensive production, stepping up as the go-to stick to put up a shot after a 39-goal and 54-point effort in his junior season.

Macrae was the prime example of consistency, depositing a goal in 19 of his team’s 20 games over the season. Macrae leaves the program with 130 goals and 177 points, good for second most in program history, behind 2005 graduate Tommy Duerr’s 253 points.

Dan Martin was another big reason for the high octane offense the Colts had at their disposal. Martin was the second-leading scorer behind Macrae, putting up 41 goals on 53 points. He ended the season six points shy of 100 for his career. Martin was key in the victory over St. John’s, popping home a career-high seven goals.

The final addition to the three Colts who put up 50-plus point seasons was Kyle Aldrige. Aldrige was more known for spreading the wealth, dishing out a team-leading 27 assists. He was also a threat to find the back of the net, and made his biggest impact when he scored a hat trick in the SCT championship game. On the year, he scored 26 goals to go along with the assists, and was tied with Martin with 53 points on the season.

Noah D’Andrea was a solid piece in between the pipes for CBA, picking up a season-high 18 saves in the game against Iona Prep, keeping the Colts within striking distance for the entire 48 minutes.

The regular season schedule undoubtedly gave the Colts difficult opponents and caused the program to taste defeat more times than they might have liked, but it also inconsequently made the road to a state championship much more difficult. With the out-of-state teams highlighting the heart of the schedule, the Colts earned the six-seed in the NJSIAA Non-Public A tournament.

The draw put the Colts up against Shore Conference rival Red Bank Catholic, and the Colts were able to easily dispense of the 11th-seeded Caseys, 19-2.

The second round game at third-seeded St. Augustine would be a different story. Despite three-point efforts from both Martin and Macrae, CBA fell to a buzz saw team the Hermits fielded, bringing an end to the season for the Colts.

The postseason results were not the desired ones when camp opened up in March, but the Colts have a solid foundation to build upon in the 2020 season. With another trip to the Shore Conference Tournament championship game, CBA has made it two years straight in which they have had a chance to raise the hardware on the turf on Monmouth University.

With the strength of schedule and respectable record, CBA has proven that they will challenge themselves outside the Shore Conference in an attempt to get over the hump in the SCT.