WORKING OUT

CLARENCE OUTPLAYS REDSKINS FOR 9-5 WIN
COLLINS-HARTWIG & BARRON COMBINE FOR SIX
HARDWORK OF RED DEVIL MIDFIELDERS PROVES
TO BE DIFFERENCE-MAKER IN SOLID EFFORT

(LANCASTER) The Clarence Red Devils rebounded Monday from two straight losses by defeating the Lancaster Redskins by the score of 9-5. The important Class A win left the Red Devils 2-1 in league play and upped their overall record to 4-3. Clarence would dominate the time of possession throughout the game, winning numerous faceoff and groundball opportunities. Dan Barron and Jordan Collins-Hartwig led the Devils with three goals apiece. Shaun Setlock once again led the Redskins, scoring four goals. Both netminders were very sharp in this one, as Red Devil goalie Ryan Duff finished with 12 saves. His Lancaster counterpart, Zack Hein, registered 16 saves and was one of the main reasons that the Red Devils didn't run away with the contest early.

Jordan Collins-Hartwig got things started in a hurry for Clarence just 1:17 in. Making one of his patented speed dodges from the top of the box, Collins-Hartwig beat his defender and fired a hard, quick shot past Hein to put the Devils up 1-0.

Clarence dominated early due to the hard work and hustle of the midfielders who played one of their better games of the season. Ryan Connolly and his wingmen won 14 out of 18 draws throughout the afternoon, and helped the Red Devils control time of possession early. Captain LSM Caleb Higgins and Josh Rawdin won several ground ball battles. However, Clarence could not capitalize on several shot opportunities and it would be the Redskins turn to strike.

Junior midfielder Zach Malecki tied things up on a great individual effort. Dodging and weaving through several Clarence defenders, Malecki worked himself to a open position about 15 yards from the net. His quick, hard bounce shot beat Duff and deposited the ball in the net directly under the crossbar. The game was deadlocked at 1.

It would take the Red Devils another three minutes to respond. The play was set up through some solid ball movement by the Clarence attack. Jordan Zaprowski played his most aggressive and arguably best game of the season, pressuring the Redskin Dpoles throughout the contest. Zap helped create this one, feeding the ball quickly to the top. Collins-Hartwig maneuvered himself to open space, then ripped a nice shot past Hein for a 2-1 Clarence lead. A lead they would never relinquish.

The Red Devils added another tally with just under a minute left in the quarter. The play was create on a fantastic clear by defenseman J.D. Skura. Skura dominated throughout the game, legging clears out of the Clarence zone and creating offense on the Lancaster half of the field. This play was a beauty, as Skura ran towards the net drawing a Redskin slide. A second slide never came as Dave Colicchia received the pass alone in front of the crease. Click actually finished this one off, and Clarence led 3-1 after one quarter.

For much of the second quarter, both the Red Devils and the Redskins took turns transitioning the ball up and down the field. Lancaster seemed to pick up some much needed momentum but failed to cash in any goals. Duff was outstanding, picking up five of his twelve saves during this period. Finally, Clarence extended their lead by taking advantage of a Redskin slashing penalty. Dan Barron picked up the extra-man tally with a hard bounce shot off the right slot. The Devils stretched their lead to 4-1.

A couple minutes later, the Red Devils scored two quick goals to deflate any hopes of a Lancaster comeback. The play developed on a great ride in the Lancaster zone. Tayler Swanson pressured the Redskin Dpole in the corner, forcing an errant pass towards the front of the net. Seeing his opportunity, Dave Colicchia intercepted the ball and was left all alone in front of the empty net. He fired it in to give Clarence a 5-1 lead.

Colicchia played a hand in the next goal as well. Just twenty seconds later, Dan Barron found a seam in the Redskin defense and exploited it by cutting towards the net. Colicchia fed from X directly onto Barron's stick and Hein was helpless to stop the ball. The goal put the Red Devils up 6-1 at halftime.

In the second half, Lancaster seemed to settle down and play their game. However, only two goals were scored in the third quarter. The first was by the Redskins only a minute and a half in. The goal was the first of four by senior attackman Shaun Setlock. Setlock made it look easy on a quick dodge from the corner, beating his defender clean, Setlock curled to the crease and beat Duff as his defensive slide came across late. Score: 6-2 Red Devils.

The balance of the quarter saw up & down action with neither team able to keep possession for any period of time. Finally, with just 48 seconds remaining in the third, Dan Barron picked up his 15th and most athletic goal of the season. The ball dropped down to Barron who had a defender on him about 15 yards from the top of the crease. Barron dodged several times but to no avail. Finally, he freed himself up with an incredible spin move and uncorked a low, hard shot that found its way past Hein for the seventh Clarence goal.

Lancaster finally fell into an offensive groove in the fourth quarter. Part of this success can be attributed to the Red Devils taking several penalties. Setlock and company scored their third goal on a great transition passing play. The Devils were unsettled in their own zone and the Redskins took full advantage by beating them back. The goal came off a nice assist from sophomore Matt Williams. Setlock finished it off on a quick stick shot from the side of the crease. Duff had no chance and the score now crept to 7-3.

Needing a quick response, Collins-Hartwig decided it was time to turn it up. It was a nice pass play as Barron fed from X to a cutting Collins-Hartwig who then fired it past Hein. The score was now 8-4.

Setlock responded several minutes later. The Lancaster attack had taken most of the game to get warmed up. However, when they get things going, they can be a potent combination. The assist came off the stick of Anthony Marrano. Setlock was left alone in the corner of the crease and simply popped it in to cut it to 8-5 with 6:27 left in the game.

Clarence did a nice job in the next several minutes to possess the ball and pressure the Lancaster defense. The final Red Devil goal of the day came off the stick of Tom Owen. Owen would make it five straight games with a goal. Barron put a perfect feed onto Owen's stick from X as Tom slashed through the Lancaster defense. The quick finish made it 9-4 Clarence with 3:11 remaining.

The final goal of the game was scored by Lancaster. Once again it was Setlock. Williams was the setup guy as Shaun cut through the Red Devil defense. Setlock fired it past Duff to closeout the scoring at 9-5.

Overall, a gutsy effort filled with hard work. The midfield seemed determined to get back on track after a lackluster performance against Iroquois. The go-to guys came through once again, and the defense played very well for much of the contest. Nick Hoffman seems to be playing his best lacrosse right now and J.D. Skura has developed into a force. Duff was back to his old self again and has been a anchor for the Red Devil defense throughout these last several games. The win puts the Red Devils in a good position as the delve further into league play. The next game will be an important league matchup against the Frontier Falcons on friday night. Hope everybody makes the trip!