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BOYS LACROSSE 2014


Westies close season with Win
West Haven defeats Lyman Hall in season finale
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 28, 2014) -
 In a season of ups and downs, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team closed the campaign in a positive way. Needing overtime to do so, the Westies defeated Lyman Hall Wednesday afternoon in Wallingford by a score of 4-3 to win their last two games of the season. 
With the victory, West Haven improved to 5-11 on the year. 
The game had its drama as the Westies led 3-1 entering the final quarter, only to see the Trojans score twice in the fourth quarter to force the extra time. 
John Christensen was the star of the game for the Westies as he scored three goals and added an assist. Justin Tuschhoff added a goal and an assist and Devin Hines added an assist. 
Jim Bruneau made 14 saves in the win for West Haven as the Westies led 1-0 at the half and 3-1 after three quarters of play.  
Zach Taylor, Mitch Riordan and Vinny Paggio each scored for the Trojans. 

Senior City
West Haven defeats Cross/Hillhouse/Career on Senior Night
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 23, 2014) - 
Looking to snap a three-game losing streak, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team could not have picked a better night. Scoring eight goals in the second half, West Haven rallied to defeat the Governors 11-10 at Ken Strong Stadium Friday evening on Senior Night. 

















Matt Kelly (27) looks to score against Cross/Hillhouse/Career, May 23, 2014. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Austin Kozak scored with 5 minutes, 34 seconds remaining to break an 8-8 tie and the Westies added two more before Cross/Hillhouse/Career responded in the final minutes to get within one goal. 
Harrison Mass, who scored four goals and added two assists for Cross, looked to have the equalizer with less than a minute to play, but his shot hit the post, preserving the win for West Haven. 

















Ray Mayberry looks to make a play against Cross/Hillhouse/Career, May 23, 2014. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske. 
Cross scored twice in each of the first two quarters to take a 4-3 lead, before West Haven rallied with four goals in the third to get within 8-7, setting up the fourth quarter rally. 
Kozak led West Haven with four goals and an assist, Justin Tuschhoff added three goals and an assist and Geordann Daguplo scored twice for the Westies. John Christensen added  one goal and three assists and Walter Smith also scored for the Westies. 

















John Christensen (10) and Justin Tuschhoff (15) celebrate a West Haven goal against Cross/Hillhouse/Career, May 23, 2014. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Jim Bruneau finished with nine saves and Ryan Pickering had three in the win. 

Indians thump Westies
West Haven falls to North Haven, 14-0
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 22, 2014) -
 After winning three straight contests, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team appeared headed in the right direction. That winning streak seems long ago. 
Since a victory over Amistad, the Westies have now dropped three straight and have been outscored 46-5 in the process. 
West Haven's latest loss came Thursday afternoon at the hands of North Haven as the Indians stormed out to an early lead and cruised to a 14-0 victory in North Haven. With the loss, West Haven falls to 3-11 on the year.

Amity beats Westies
Spartans score 10 goals in first half to post 16-3 win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 19, 2014) -
 After posting three consecutive victories, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team hoped to ride the momentum for the remainder of the season. That momentum has quickly come to a halt. 
A loss to Hamden snapped the streak and the Westies suffered their second straight setback with a 16-3 trouncing at the hands of Amity Tuesday evening. 
The Spartans scored four times in the first quarter and six more in the second quarter to take a 10-1 lead at the half. Amity went on a 6-2 run in the second half, including 5-0 in the third quarter, to post the easy victory. 
West Haven got goals from Quinton Morrison, Austin Kozak and Justin Tuschhoff in the loss. Tuschhoff also picked up an assist for the Westies. 
Brad Uscilla led Amity with three goals, while Kyle Sullivan and John Uscilla each scored twice as Amity had 12 players score on the night. 
Ryan Pickering and Jim Bruneau each made 4 saves in the loss for West Haven. 

Westies fall to Hamden
West Haven sees winning streak end in 16-2 loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 17, 2014) -
 The winning streak is over for the West Haven boys' lacrosse team. After winning three straight contests, the Westies were looking to stay on a roll. 
That did not happen as Hamden used a big second and third quarter to defeat the Westies 16-2 Saturday evening. With the loss, West Haven fell to 3-9. 
West Haven got on the board early to send the game to the second quarter even at one. 
That was the only quarter in which the game was close. The Green Dragons scored five times in the second quarter and added seven more in the third quarter to take a 13-1 lead. 
Ten different players got in the scoring column for Hamden. Zach Jolles led the way with three goals and two assists, while Fran Bonadies Billy Fitzmaurice and Angelo DiMonaco each scored twice. DiMonaco also picked up six assists in the win for Hamden. 
John Christensen and Austin Kozak scored for the Westies. 
Dom Sannino made 12 saves in the win for Hamden, while Ryan Pickering had 10 saves in the loss for the Westies. 

Three in a Row
West Haven improves to 3-8 with third straight win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 15, 2014) -
 The West Haven boys' lacrosse team is on a roll. After starting the season with eight straight losses, the Westies have rebounded to win three in a row. 
West Haven's latest victory came Thursday evening when they defeated Amistad, 15-0. Behind three goals apiece from Justin Tuschhoff and Devin Hines, the Westies improved to 3-8. 
"It was a good effort by all of our guys," West Haven coach Patrick Reed said. "Our first goal was scored by (Ronald) Pritchard and our last one by (Quinton) Morrison. It was very nice that two guys who have worked very hard for us were able to get their first career goals for us today. Justin Tuschhoff had his third consecutive game with a hat trick. Devin Hines scored three goals and John Christensen had three assists. 
"Defensively, seniors Joe Radcliffe, Ray Mayberry and Kevin McDaniel did a great job disrupting Amistad's shots, while Jim Bruneau and Ryan Pickering combined for the shutout. Tyler Sullivan has recently switched from defense to face-off midfielder and has done a great job using the skills he has learned as a wrestler to win some important possessions for us."
West Haven won the game in the first half as the Westies scored seven times in the opening quarter and added seven more in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead. 
Ronald Pritchard and Geordann Daguplo each scored twice, while Ray Mayberry, Matt Maio, Austin Kozak, John Christensen and Quinton Morrison each scored once. Christensen added three assists, while Pritchard, Daguplo, Matt Kelly,Tuschhoff and Kozak each added assists.
Jim Bruneau made four saves in the win and Ryan Pickering made two.

Westies hold off Law
West Haven picks up second win of year with 13-9 defeat of Eagles
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 12, 2014) -
 After dropping the first eight games of the year, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team is on a roll. Scoring multiple goals in every quarter but the last, West Haven withstood a late Jonathan Law rally to post a 13-9 victory at Ken Strong Stadium. 
The win for the Westies allowed the team to improve to 2-8 on the season. 
Geordann Daguplo, John Christensen and Justin Tuschhoff were the keys to the game for the Westies. Daguplo scored four times and added an assist and Tuschhoff and Christensen each had three goals and an assist in the win. 


























Geordann Daguplo, seen here earlier in the year, scored four times and added an assist in West Haven's 13-9 win over Jonathan Law, May 12, 2014. File photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske. 
West Haven had six different scorers in the contest. Mike Vitale, Devin Hines and Austin Kozak each scored once, while Matt Kelly had two assists and Daniel Samperi, Vitale, Hines and Kozak each had one assist in the win. 
West Haven jumped out in front of the Eagles early, taking a 3-1 lead after one quarter and a 7-2 lead at the half. With West Haven's defense playing well and holding Law to just one goal per quarter, the Westies scored five times in the third quarter to take a 12-3 lead. 
The five goals proved to be big as Law responded with a 6-1 run in the final minutes, but could not complete the comeback. 
Jim Bruneau made 10 saves and Ryan Pickering added 3 saves in the win for the Westies. David Patrick and Tyler Cavallaro each had three goals and an assist for the Eagles.


First in Line
WH picks up initial victory of season with win over Cross/Hillhouse/Career
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 7, 2014) -
 It may have taken nine games, but the West Haven boys' lacrosse team finally picked up its first victory of the year. 
Rallying from a four-goal deficit, the Westies defeated Cross/Hillhouse/Career, 7-6, in New Haven Wednesday afternoon. 
Behind Harrison Mass, Cross jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter. West Haven cut the deficit to two goals at halftime before going on a 4-2 run in the third quarter to even the game at six. 
The Westies scored the winner in the fourth quarter to pull out the exciting victory. 
Devin Hines led the way for West Haven as he scored three goals and added two assists. Justin Tuschhoff scored twice, Geordann Daguplo added a goal and two assists and Mike Vitale scored once. Austin Kozak also picked up a pair of assists. 
Ryan Pickering and Jim Bruneau combined to make nine saves in the win. Pickering made 6 saves and Bruneau finished with three. 
Mass led Cross with three goals, while Cody Wright had two goals and an assist. 

Lions too much for Westies
Second half key in WH loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 3, 2014)-
 Knowing how tough Foran is, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team was well aware of the importance of a quick start. The Westies got that start with a first quarter goal and trailed by just two goals at halftime. 
The second half was a different story. Outscored 5-1 in the third quarter and 8-2 in the second half, West Haven fell to the Lions 12-4 at Ken Strong Stadium Saturday evening. 
With the loss, West Haven fell to 0-8 on the season. Foran improved to 5-1.  
Matt Kelly did the bulk of the scoring for West Haven as he found the back of the goal three times. Justin Tuschhoff added another tally in the loss. 
Foran was led by Drew Perani, who scored five times and added two assists. Paul Mirmina, Alex Eager and Will Vitelli each scored twice, with Mirmina and Vitelli each adding an assist as well.
Jonathan DePascale finished with four assists for Foran. Josh Teller made 13 saves for the Lions and Jim Bruneau finished with 13 saves for the Westies. 


Branford slips past Westies
WH drops 9-6 decision to Hornets
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
WEST HAVEN (May 1, 2014) -
 The West Haven boys' lacrosse team fell into an early hole and could not climb its way out in a 9-6 loss to Branford Thursday evening at Ken Strong Stadium. With the loss, West Haven fell to 0-7 on the year. 
The Westies fell behind 5-2 after one quarter and trailed by two goals at the half. Branford scored four times in the third quarter to take a 9-3 lead before the Westies rallied in the fourth quarter. 
Austin Kozak scored early in the fourth to get West Haven within 9-4 and Matt Kelly followed a short time later as the Westies cut the deficit to four goals. 



























Justin Tuschhoff, seen here in an earlier game this season, scored twice in a 9-6 loss to Branford, May 1, 2014. File photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
West Haven had numerous opportunities to get closer, but too many squandered possessions throughout the final eight minutes would prove costly in the loss. 
Justin Tuschhoff and Kozak each finished with two goals apiece, while Geordann Daguplo and Kelly each added a goal and an assist apiece.
Noah Lohman led Branford with three goals, while Mike Potter and Devan Hall each scored twice. 
Branford's Hunter Duval made 17 saves and Jim Bruneau made 11 saves for the Westies. 

Westies fall to Notre Dame
ND rolls to 17-7 win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 28, 2014) -
 Looking for its first win of the season, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team traveled up the road to play Notre Dame at Veterans Field. 
Scoring eight times in the first quarter and six more in the second quarter, Notre Dame led by 12 goals, on its way to a 17-7 victory over the Westies. 
"Notre Dame killed us in transition," West Haven coach Patrick Reed said after his team fell to 0-6. "When we settled into our defense, we were pretty good, but, on fast breaks, Notre Dame did a great job of finding the open guy.
"Notre Dame is a big, physical team and we struggled to beat them one on one. We had a lot of success on our man up. Probably the nicest play of the day was Justin Tuschhoff having an open shot from about 15 yards, but passing it off to Geordann Daguplo for a great goal inside. .John Christensen continues to play well at attack. He is working hard and puts up points every game."

















West Haven, including Justin Tuschhoff (15), Matt Kelly (27) and John Christensen (10) celebrate a goal against Notre Dame, April 28, 2014. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
The Green Knights extended the lead to 16-4 before the Westies made things closer with three goals in the final quarter. 
"Defensively, our two long stick midfielders, Dom Moscato and Chinnarin Tuy , have really taken giant steps forward in the last few weeks. They are juniors and will likely anchor our defense next year."
Geordann Daguplo and Justin Tuschhoff each scored twice, while Austin Kozak and Hunter Cole each scored once for West Haven.
Notre Dame held a 28-17 shot advantage in the game with Ed Moran and Preston Gage each scoring three goals and Matt Anania and Dylan Penna each scoring twice. Alex Hassen had three assists in the win for the Green Knights.  


























Justin Tuschhoff scored but it was not enough as West Haven fell to Foran, April 19, 2014. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.


Westies fall to Foran   
Goals by Kozak, Tuschhoff and Christensen not enough in loss
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 19, 2014)-
 Searching for their first win of the season, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team had a tough opponent to get it against. 
When the final whistle blew, West Haven saw just how good Foran is as the Lions scored early and often in a 13-3 win at Foran High. 
The Lions had offense spread throughout the lineup as Will Vitelli and Paul Mirmina each scored three times and Zach White and Alex Eager each scored twice.  Eager also added three assists, while White and Mirmina added one helper apiece. 
Foran wasted no time taking the lead in the game as the Lions led 3-1 after one quarter and 9-2 at the half. Foran put the game away with four goals to start the second half for a 13-2  advantage. 

















West Haven celebrates John Christensen's (10) goal against Foran, April 19, 2014. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske. 
The Westies scored single goals in every quarter but the third. Austin Kozak. Justin Tuschhoff and John Christensen scored for the Westies with Hunter Cole picking up an assist. Ryan Pickering made 4 saves and Jim Bruneau made three in the loss for the Westies.

Positive Steps 
Westies improve in loss to Sheehan
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 16, 2014)-
 Just four days after being trounced by Sheehan, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team was looking to take some steps in the right direction. Although the Westies accomplished that and played much better, Sheehan prevailed 11-6 at West Haven Wednesday evening. 
"We were much improved over Saturday when we lost 13-2," West Haven coach Patrick Reed said. "Last week, we really had no answer to their zone defense and we weren't able to generate any quality shots. Today, we just got a veery slow start. We spotted them a touchdown in the first half. The big difference was we were getting open looks, but we dropped a lot of passes and made some really bad choices on shots."
The Westies, who fell to 0-3, started slowly in the contest as the Titans jumped out to a 7-0 lead before John Christensen scored in the last minute of the first half. 
Christensen's goal started a run of West Haven scoring five of the game's next six goals to cut the deficit to 8-5 in the fourth quarter.
"After that, our guys really started to believe in themselves," Reed said of Christensen's goal. "Despite being down 7-1, they fought back and with nine minutes left in the fourth had made it an 8-5 game. Unfortunately, a couple of poor penalties on our part put us a man down and we ended up letting three goals in the last six minutes."
West Haven was out scored 3-1 the rest of the way in the home loss. 
The Westies had six different players score as Justin Tuschhoff, Matt Kelly, Geordann Daguplo, Austin Kozak and Devin Hines joined Christensen in the scoring column. Daguplo added two assists, while Tuschhoff and Hunter Cole picked up an assist as well. 
"Some of the things that really stood out were Ronald Pritchard really stepped up on faceoffs," Reed said. "I don't think we won a single faceoff on Saturday and he really stepped up, winning just about 50% of the faceoffs and making some great fast breaks.
"Matt Maio has been playing lacrosse for four weeks and is doing a great job with unbelievable athletic ability. Dom Moscato changed positions to long stick middie and has improved our team defense tremendously. I can't say enough about how good of people the kids on the team are. They want to get better and they support each other. They are getting better every day. I am so proud of how hard they fought back today."

Slow Start 
Westies fall to 0-2 with loss to Sheehan
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 12, 2014) –
 Looking to pick up its first win of the year, the West Haven boys' lacrosse team faced an up and coming Sheehan team Saturday evening. While the Westies were looking to pick up their first victory of the season, Sheehan was looking to prove it belonged as a first-year team. 
The Titans, who have an excellent feeder system, did not play like a first-year team as they thoroughly defeated the Westies 13-2. 
Sheehan led 6-0 at the half and 10-0 after three quarters before West Haven finally got on the scoreboard. 
Bruce Rutkowski and Bobby Carey led the Titans with four goals apiece. Carey also had three assists. 
The Westies were led by John Christensen, who had a goal and an assist and Justin Tuschhoff who added another goal. 
The Titans held a 36-16 shot advantage in the contest.



















Matt Kelly will play a big role in the success of the 2014 West Haven lacrosse team. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.


On the Right Path  
Westies taking positive steps to success
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 7, 2014) – 
The West Haven boys’ lacrosse team has a different feel to it in 2014. Looking to take the next step in the process of becoming a solid team each year, the Westies have come to the field ready to play in 2014. 
One specific aspect of the game has been very pleasing to coach Patrick Reed. 
"I like their attitude," Reed said of his team. "It is the best I have ever seen from a West Haven lacrosse team. 
"I had them at the Painter Park pit running hill sprints. I thought we were just about done and I had them racing in pairs uphill, trying to be the first to get a ball I threw up the hill. After about ten minutes, I said we were done and they all said no. They wanted to keep running. The raced in groups of two's, four's, by grade and in grudge matches. They did a great job pushing each other to get better."
With the proper attitude in place, the Westies now need to perfect the game. According to Reed, it is a matter of doing the litte things correctly. 
"We need to protect the ball, win ground balls and beat guys one on one." Reed said. 
With a goal of qualifying for the state tournament after a 5-11 season, Reed and the Westies will turn to several key players. 
While the team has not picked its captains as of yet, Reed does have several key returners. 
Leading this group are junior midfielder Justin Tuschhoff, senior defenseman Ray Mayberry, senior goalie Jim Bruneau and sophomore goalie Ryan Pickering. 
"Justin Tuschhoff has the ability to carry this team offensively," Reed said. "He can shoot as hard as any one I have seen. Ray Mayberry has started on defense for us for the last two years and is the heart of our defense. 
"Jim and Ryan will share time in goal. They have very different styles. Ryan is very technical and Jimmy has great reflexes. Both are very capable of securing victories for the team."

















Ray Mayberry will lead the West Haven defense in 2014. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Bruneau was the starter in goal two years ago , but injured his shoulder last season, allowing Pickering to play as a freshman. 



















Ryan Pickering will be one of many key players in 2014 for the West Haven lacrosse team. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Reed also has others who will impact the team. Matt Kelly, Austin Kozak and Ronald Pritchard all have different styles, but all will be key contributors. 
"Matt Kelly is a blue-collar athlete," Reed said. "He takes pride in working on man-down and doing the gritty, tough-guy jobs that other people don't want to have the resolve to do. 
"Austin Kozak is fast and strong. In the open field, he just runs over guys. He has been out most of the preseason, but we are looking to get him back and give our offense a boost. Ronald Pritchard is a second-year player who has really elevated his game. He is so quick. Even in confined spaces, he can create space between himself and a defender and get a shot off."
The Westies will need to play as a unit as they replace the graduated Mike Bibens on defense. Aaron Haley will also be missed as he was on the first midfield line, man-up and man-down teams. 
The season will also be a challenge with the addition of two new teams. 
"This year will be really interesting," Reed said. "There are two new teams in Lyman Hall and Sheehan. They are not like most new programs as they have had well established youth programs and have a lot of lacrosse experience, even if it is not at the high school level. That combined with Foran and Law coming in last year should make for some interesting and tough matchups this year." 
West Haven opens the season Wednesday, April 9 against Lyman Hall at 7 p.m. at Ken Strong Stadium.