Strassburg, Ferrentino, and DiMillo Star for
West Seneca East

Dominating Second Half By Trojans Leaves
Red Devils Winless

Hardworking Syty Finishes With
2 Goals, 10 Groundballs

(CLARENCE) The Red Devils home opener ended in disappointment, as a strong West Seneca East squad proved to be too much for Clarence in the second half. With a 4-3 lead at the half, the Trojans longpoles put on a "clinic" in the second half to shut down the Clarence offense and come away with a 10-4 victory. Tyler Strassburg (4g 1a), Mike Ferrentino (2g 1a), and Miles DiMillo (2g) led the charge offensively for East. Defender Greg Bensman showed why he is considered a Division 1 prospect, as he terrorized the Devils attack continually throughout the afternoon. The Trojans played a gritty game, and more than often won the ground battles in the midfield. Their speedy offense found their legs in the third quarter and pulled away from a tired and outworked Clarence squad.

The Trojans came out hard in the first quarter, scoring the first two goals. Junior attackman Tyler Strassburg picked up his 4th and 5th goals on the season to energize the East squad. However, Clarence stayed in it, pulling to within a goal on a great shot by John Syty. Syty's goal came off a nice pass from junior midfielder Dan Salvatore. Strassburg tallied again for the Trojans to build back a two goal lead going into the second quarter. The Devils found their feet in the second, playing their best lacrosse of the year. Clarence was able to stabilize their offensive attack and give fits to the Trojan clearing game. John Syty tallied another big goal, cutting East's lead to one. His hard work and determination seemed to help rally the Devils offense. East stormed back with another goal, this time off the hands of attackman Miles DiMillo. The war continued as the Devils fought back to within one. Dave Colicchia scored his first goal of the year on a beautiful passing play and assist from Dan Barron. With the margin cut to just one goal at the half, the Devils hoped for continued success in the last 24 minutes.

The battle raged in the third quarter. East struck again early to set the tone for the second half. With a two goal cushion, the Trojans hoped to get the all important next goal. However, not to be denied, the Red Devils cut the score to 5-4 on a nice shot by midfielder Mark Bryce. Bryce, usually known for his defensive work, registered his first goal of the season after scooping up a loose ball and letting it rip from about 15 yards out.

The turning point of the game came late in the third as the Trojans' Mike Ferrentino scored on a beautiful long pole play from defensemen Ethan Murphy and Greg Bensman. With just 10 seconds left in the third, Ferrentino's goal put a big dent in the Red Devils comeback bid.

Senior leadership is an important component to any great high school team. As the fourth quarter began the Trojans needed the all important three goal lead. Enter..Mike Ferrentino. Ferrentino came up with another big goal, and in turn ended all hopes for the Devils on this day. With the outcome evident, the Trojans long poles of Murphy and Bensman physically dominated Clarence for the balance of the fourth quarter. Bensman made the "play of the day" on an incredible display of hustle. With the Devils attack in the crease and an open net, Bensman sprinted back from about 15 yards away to knock the attempt wide of the goal with his longpole. East tallied three more goals late. The first came from midfielder Kyle Dominczak. The last two came off the sticks of Strassburg and DiMillo, which brought the final outcome to10-4. The win by Coach Maisano and the Trojans left Clarence sitting at 0 and 2 on the season with a big game against Sweet Home before the Easter break.