DeMatha won its first title since its streak of eight straight titles was ended last year.
Senior Mike Smail scored three goals and added an assist.
By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.comDeMatha senior Shane Ryznar never remembered scoring three goals in one game before this, his senior season. So to score four goals in the first quarter of Tuesday’s Washington Catholic Athletic Conference boy’s lacrosse finals absolutely blew his mind.
“To come out with four goals in one quarter was unbelievable,” Ryznar said. “Senior year I just kind of turned it on. … I just went to cage like I always do every game and the shots just fell for me today. Everything went right for me.”
As was the story for nearly the entire DeMatha boy's lacrosse roster as the Stags beat
Good Counsel, 18-3, on the University of Maryland’s Ludwig Field. DeMatha led 13-1 at halftime.
Much more gratifying for the Stags than the score was the fact that DeMatha’s players felt they restored order to the WCAC. After winning the championship eight straight years, DeMatha fell to St. Mary’s Ryken by one goal in last year’s finals on the same field.
“There’s nothing that we wanted more than to get this title back,” the UMBC-bound Ryznar said. “Our feeling last year is probably exactly the opposite of what it is right now.”
The loss haunted the Stags for the past year as many said they felt that they let the fans, coaches, alumni and program down by ending the streak. The Stags put in more work this summer than they ever had, they said.
The Stags (14-5), who finished the season undefeated in WCAC play, started thinking about this year’s championship game the day after walking off Ludwig Field last year. The team returned a large group of seniors determined to bring back the title.
“It means everything in the world to us,” senior Mike Smail said. “After losing last year and walking off this same feel it was horrible and something that I never wanted to feel again. When we came out this game we knew we had something to prove. We had to get back what was ours. We proved it tonight that we could. We came out and took care of business.”
Smail said he wasn’t even surprised by the lopsided result considering the amount of thought and preparation that DeMatha had put into the championship game.
DeMatha came out of the gates on fire, as Coach Scott Pugh put it. Ryznar scored the game’s first goal just less than three minutes into the game, then notched another goal two minutes and 28 seconds later. The Stags led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and 8-0 a minute and three seconds into the second quarter before Good Counsel buried its first shot.
From there, DeMatha went on a five-goal run to end the half. With 18 seconds left, DeMatha sophomore Hily Summers shouted to hit team, “Hey, lets get one more!” The Stags were determined to make a statement in this game.
“There’s no need for words,” senior captain goalie Matt Miller said. “All you have to do is look at the scoreboard.”
Good Counsel, who was playing in its first championship game that Coach Matt Durkin could remember, got two goals from senior Bryce Dabbs and another by long-stick defenseman Patrick Fletcher. Good Counsel scored two goals to DeMatha's three in the fourth quarter.
Ryznar was named the game’s most valuable player with five goals and an assist. Smail notched three goals and an assist, sophomore Pat Harbeson had two goals, junior Mike Williams scored two goals and senior Sean McKenna added two goals.
“Honestly this is what you come play for,” McKenna said. “This is the championship. This is what everybody remembers about your season. This is going to be remembered. 18-3. That doesn’t happen every day in a championship game no matter who you’re playing.”