COMFORT ZONE

BELICA & MORAN SCORE 3 GOALS EACH
PHYSICAL PLAY OF QUAKERS DOOM RED DEVILS
MIDFIELD DOMINATED BY ORCHARD PARK

(CLARENCE) The Orchard Park Quakers rolled into Clarence to give the home team its annual beat-down on Thursday. Staying true to form, the #11 ranked Class A team in New York dominated the Red Devils throughout the contest. Clarence fought hard for the initial nine minutes of the contest, but were soon done-in by the physical play of the Quakers. Mike Moran and Drew Belica scored three goals each to lead OP. The Red Devils had great difficulty matching up the the Quakers athleticism and size. The loss drops Clarence to 9-6 on the season, closing out their league record at 6-3.

The Devils battled the Quakers early on in the contest. In fact, Clarence held a 1-0 lead on a goal by Jordan Collins-Hartwig. The goal came at the 6:07 mark and was one of his patented speed dodges from the top of the Quaker defense. Beating his defender, Collins-Hartwig ripped the shot past OP goalie Mike Murray. The shot gave the Red Devils new-found confidence that they could indeed compete with one of WNY's elite teams.

However, that would be as good as it would get for the Red Devils on this day, as OP would go on a five goal scoring spree during the final three minutes of the quarter. The Quakers possess what Clarence does not have at this time. Strong, physical players willing to pay whatever price necessary to win. That is what championship teams are made of in the game of lacrosse. Orchard Park's success is built on year-round play and hard work in the weight room. Although difficult for the casual Clarence fan to stomach, the Quakers are a team to admire in both their effort and approach to the game. Unfortunately, that difference would become painfully obvious as OP kicked their game into high gear.

The first goal came at the 2:59 mark. Nothing fancy, just hard work in the midfield off a OP clear. Mike Allaire (2g, 2a) was impressive throughout the contest. Dominating with both speed and size, Allaire ran past his defender into the Clarence zone. Finding the Red Devil defense unsettled, Allaire fired a hard pass down to attackman Art Marrapese who was unguarded outside the Clarence crease. Marrapese quickly beat goalie Ryan Duff (7 saves) and the Quakers had tied the game.

The Red Devils broke down on many levels during the next several minutes. The second goal came just 20 seconds later after an OP faceoff win. The goal was created on a nice piece of work by midfielder Kyle Kasprzyk. Kasprzyk took control of the ball at X and then proceeded to run his defender behind the net. As the defense shifted, Kasprzyk quickly curled and skipped a pass to Jake Engleman on the backside of the defense. Engleman's shot ripped past Duff and the Quakers took the lead for good.

Sensing blood, the Quakers scored 17 seconds later. Faceoff specialist Mike Moran once again won possession. The OP offense moved the ball quickly. Once again it ended up in the hands of Kaspryzk. However, this time the midfielder saw his own opening and cranked a shot which beat Duff for a 3-1 Quaker lead.

The next OP goal came 30 seconds later on a great individual effort. Midfielder Scott Campbell simply beat his midfield defender towards the net. As the defensive slide came, Campbell quickly switched to his off hand, beating Duff for OP's fourth goal in just over a minute.

The Quakers would net their fifth with just :49 seconds remaining in the first. The play was created by midfielder Kevin Lalley who used his great speed to dodge down the side of the defense. Drawing a slide, Lalley quickly fired it back over to Allaire, who ripped it home for a 5-1 Quaker lead after the first quarter.

The late offensive flurry of Orchard Park goals seemed to knock the wind out Clarence. The Red Devils were dominated throughout the last three quarters, managing only three total shots against the OP goalie. The Quakers turned up the heat in the second quarter by inflicting their physical style of play upon the host team. Completely out of their comfort zone, Clarence failed to fight back against their aggressive opponent. OP completely controlled the midfield area, running and scrapping for groundballs. Clarence's inability to successfully clear the ball would further complicate matters, and led to numerous scoring opportunities for the Quakers.

The Quakers would score five unanswered goals in the second quarter. The first came at the 9:04 mark. The Quakers are known for their great ability to skip-pass the ball through the opponents defense. As the Red Devil defense began to struggle, OP began to put on a passing clinic. The play was created by Mike Allaire as he dodged his way down through the Clarence defense. Seeing an opening, Allaire pulled up and fired a skip through to the opposite side of the crease. Attackman Drew Belica picked up his first goal of the day quick-sticking the shot in past Duff. OP led 6-1.

Two minutes later, Mike Moran put on a show of his own, using his strength to simply bull his way past the Clarence defender from the top. As he drew closer to the goal, the defense failed to help and he just popped it in past Duff for a 7-1 lead.

Just 48 seconds later, the Quakers struck again on a shot that I'm sure Duff would have liked to have back. Drew Belica worked his way into his defender and ripped a shot from the right slot. The ball was partially blocked but had enough steam to continue on towards the net. Duff misjudged the speed and spin on the ball as it slowly rolled past him making the game 8-1.

The next OP tally came at two minutes later. Allaire took full advantage of his size mismatch over the Red Devil defensive midfielder and plowed towards the net. The defender failed to take the body, and Allaire fired a quick bouncer from 5 yards away past Duff for a 9-1 difference.

Finally, with 1:26 left on the clock, the Quakers would record their tenth goal of the afternoon. The goal can be attributed to great hustle and Moran's ability to never give up on any play. Moran once again worked his way from the top of the Red Devil defense and unloaded a hard shot at the goal. Duff had difficulty handling the save and the ball popped loose in front of the crease. Staying with it, Moran retrieved his own bouncing rebound and fired a shot from the crease. Duff had little chance. At halftime, the daunting 10-1 OP lead seemed insurmountable as Clarence managed but one shot for the entire second quarter.

The Quakers dominated the second half as well. Resting his first attack and midfielders for the rest of the game, OP coach Gene Tundo received spirited play from his second group for the next two quarters. The first third quarter goal was scored at the 7:50 mark. Attackman Drew Belica showed that he is a wizard with his stick. Matt Ferrino picked up the assist on a beautiful skip pass to Belica alone off the post. In one quick motion, Belica simply guided the pass past Duff for a 11-1 Quaker lead.

A minute and a half later, senior attackman Sean Looney picked up a goal on a nice individual effort. Looney had possession at X and simply powered his way past his defender to the front of the net. Failing to put a body on the attackman cost the Red Devils, as Looney simply curled around the front of the net and fired the ball in the net. 12-1 OP.

The last third quarter goal was scored with 4:14 left. The Clarence defense was under a constant barrage of shots. Several defenders were caught out of position as a rebound bounced out away from the front of the goal. Desperately trying to make something happen, Duff himself tried to gain control of the ball. OP regained possession and just an empty net awaited. J.D. Skura fell back to help cover the open goal, but Jake Engleman fired it past the defenseman for a 13-1 lead after three quarters of play.

The fourth quarter was again controlled by Orchard Park. The only goal of the quarter came on a great individual effort by midfielder Mike Moran. Exploiting the soft defensive midfield, Moran just bulled his way through several defenders. With no slide coming, Moran popped it in from just outside the crease to make it a 14-1 final score.

The effort by the Red Devils was poor at best. When things became physical, many players failed to play outside their "comfort zone" and simply called it a day. How else can you explain a team that managed just three shots in the last three quarters. Clarence was fortunate that Quakers pulled off the dogs early or Orchard Park would have easily scored deep into the twenties. One of the few bright spots for the Red Devils was the play of J.D. Skura who at times looked like he was taking on the whole Orchard Park team. He once again proved that he could easily play at the next level. In a game against several Division 1 lacrosse players; Lalley (Towson), Tundo (Ohio State), Ferrino (Sacred Heart) and Allaire (Canisius), Skura showed that he possesses the ability to compete.

The Red Devils play several non league games to finish out the regular season. With West Seneca West upsetting Lancaster this week, it looks as though Williamsville North will travel to Clarence for the first round of the playoffs. A rematch of last year's quarterfinal game. Clarence's next game is against St. Francis at home on Saturday at 11:00. Hope to see you there!