Cormac McCabe Provides Leadership for Point Boro Lacrosse By Jim Rosa

POINT PLEASANT – When it comes to the sport of lacrosse, especially boys lacrosse, Point Boro has not been the first place that comes to mind in the Shore Conference. The program is fairly new at Point Boro, entering only its fifth season of varsity competition this past March. With that said, the program is continuing to grow, as new players become more interested in the sport. Since the team’s inception in 2015, many athletes within the school have decided to take up lacrosse as interest was very high at the time.

 One athlete in particular who fell in love with the sport of lacrosse is senior midfielder Cormac McCabe. McCabe first suited up for a lacrosse game in 2016 when he was eager to try out a new sport. As a soccer player for the Point Boro boys soccer team, McCabe wanted to adopt a spring sport that offered him the opportunity to grow as both a player and person. At the time, he felt that lacrosse was his best option as he saw an opportunity to succeed.

  “Lacrosse was a sport that I never played until I was a freshman. It was something I always wanted to try but never did because there wasn’t a team at the high school at the time. Instead, I just played soccer my whole life. When a team was started it immediately became something I knew I would end up playing and now I am in love with it,” McCabe explained.

 Fast forward four years and McCabe has become one of several senior leaders for the team. One of the goals for McCabe and his team this season is to earn the first winning season in program history. Currently the team has a record of 5-5, and they have faced several challenges throughout this season so far.

  “One challenge we have had is injuries. We have had two of our starters out for a while now but many of the younger kids have stepped up and have done what we needed them to,” continued McCabe. “Another challenge we have faced is winning big games such as the Middletown North and St. Rose games. They were two games where we played great and put up a good fight but were not able to come up with the win. Both those games would have been very big wins but we still got a lot out of them despite losing.”

 While there have been a fair share of challenges for McCabe and the Panthers, McCabe strives to do what he can to help put his team in a winning position. He credits his teammates and coaching staff as a big reason why this team comes into every game with a winning mentality. Coming into the season, there was a lot of excitement within the community as head coach Pat Brady returned for his second year. Brady took over for Guy Lassen at the end of the 2016 season.

 “All of the kids on the team have a really close connection. We always have fun together on and off the field. This is something that I think has helped us adjust easily to all the different coaches because we are already comfortable around each other,” McCabe explained. ”With coach Brady taking over as head coach it has made a huge difference. Our practices are more organized and efficient and there is a very strong sense of pride throughout the team. As a leader I have learned from past leaders and tried my best to set a good example of what a teammate should act like on and off the field.”

 After achieving a 6-12 record last season, McCabe and his team have continued to build off of the five wins they already have this season. The goal for them is to continue to get better each and every game.  If the mentality stays right, McCabe feels that he and his team can certainly have a better record at the end of this season.

 “I think that as a team we are at a point right now where every game we go into we have a chance of winning and making it a competitive game. For me I try to put myself and the whole team in a position to win every game. Lacrosse is a game of runs and one thing I focus on is not letting other teams score multiple goals in a row. We try to answer every goal they score with a goal of our own and then this sets us up to go on our own run,” he explained.

 McCabe has certainly helped the Point Boro offense, scoring a career-high 26 goals this season. Additionally, he has provided the team with six multiple-goal games. One of his best games this season came against Neptune, when where he scored a season-high seven goals. Other significant games include four goals against Mater Dei Prep and five goals against Middle Township. In total, McCabe has scored over 50 goals during his high school career so far.

 While lacrosse was once a new sport for McCabe, it quickly became the thing he enjoyed spending most of his time doing. He will continue his academic and athletic career at Kean University. He officially decided on his future last summer; however, college lacrosse was a goal that he has had his eye on for quite some time.  “It was after my sophomore year that I really knew I wanted to pursue lacrosse,” McCabe said. He hopes that many others, like himself, will find a passion in the sport and that the program at Point Boro can continue to grow to a point where the team can compete for a state title in the near future. 

 

TagsSpring