St. Thomas Aquinas wins key lacrosse game in overtime
Coming out of a timeout with the score tied at 8 in overtime, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas got the exact look it was hoping for.
Positioned 15 yards up top from the goal, Kevin Crowley dodged down the right wing and fired a low bounce shot just past the stick of Palm Beach Oxbridge Academy goalie Ethan Randell to give the Raiders a 9-8 win and a ticket to the third round of the postseason.
The Raiders will face Gulliver Prep on Saturday with a trip to the state semifinals on the line.
Senior All-American Louie Yovino was key for St. Thomas on the play, drawing the Thunderwolves’ attention. When Crowley’s defender sloughed in, Yovino passed it back to Crowley.
“He’d been killing them all game,” said Crowley, an All-American as a junior. “I was lucky enough to get it back to my right hand and put it in.”
The game-winner set off a jubilant St. Thomas Aquinas celebration, as players threw their sticks in the air and mobbed Crowley by the goal, who emerged from ground with his arms thrown up in the air in celebration.
“I’m glad I took my blood pressure pills this morning,” St. Thomas Aquinas coach Terry Crowley said after the game. “We’ve been here before, several times. Especially the seniors. So we knew if we kept pushing offensively, something would eventually work.”
Wednesday’s matchup proved to be a taut, back-and-forth thriller between the two programs, especially in the second half. While St. Thomas Aquinas took a 5-1 lead into halftime, the Thunderwolves responded with a massive counter-punch, outscoring the Raiders 5-0 in the third quarter to take a 6-5 lead in the final frame.
After St. Thomas Aquinas’ Jimmy Harrington scored his third goal of the contest to tie the score at 6 with 9:37 left, Crowley followed up with another goal two minutes later to give the Raiders a one-goal advantage.
But the Thunderwolves, fresh off a first-round upset of St. Andrew’s never backed down. Off a Tyler Jerd goal, Oxbridge evened it up at 8-8 with 5:25 remaining. St. Thomas Aquinas re-took the lead off Yovino’s third goal of the game with 3:16 left, but once again, Oxbridge responded. With 1:24 left, Bobby Kilian scored off a feed from Connor Davis to even the contest at 8.
Oxbridge Academy had multiple chances in overtime, but turned the ball over twice on two critical offensive possessions.
St. Thomas Aquinas now sets its sights on Gulliver Prep, as it looks to advance to the state tournament for a third consecutive year. The Raiders are looking to avenge last year’s 13-11 loss to Lake Highland Prep in the state title game.
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
▪ Second Round play-in — St. Thomas Aquinas 16, Ransom Everglades 1: Carly Steinlauf 4 goals. Ali Beekhuizen 3 goals., assist. Carli Adams 3 goals. STA 15-3.
BASEBALL
▪ District 13-9A — Hialeah Gardens 4, Hialeah 3 (10): WP: Eddy Nodarse. HG 17-16. HIA 11-12.
▪ Late Tuesday, District 8-4A Semifinals — Florida Christian 11, Ransom 1: Christian Coipel 3 IP, 6 K’s. Jorge Iza 2-4, 3R, HR. Cameron Irvine 2-4. Ruben Someillan 2-3. Alex Cerda 2-3
▪ Late Tuesday, District 8-2A Semifinals — Miami Christian 4, Brito Miami 1: Chris Otero CG, 5 K’s. Luis Rodriguez 1-3, 2 RBI. Yoel Rojas 2-3. Bryan Lopez 1-3, RBI.
▪ Late Tuesday, District 7-4A Quarterfinals — University School 4, Hialeah Educational 1: Jack Schmidt 6 IP, 8 K’s. SV: Scott Gutstein. Buddy Hayward 2-4, R. US 20-6.
▪ Late Tuesday, District 16-5A Semifinals — Key West 5, Keys Gate 4: KW 15-11. KG 11-12.
TRACK AND FIELD
▪ District 13-1A, Boys’ — 1. Highlands Christian 238, 2. King's Academy 133, 3. Florida Atlantic University 96, 4. Boca Raton Christian 51, 5. Village Academy 43, 6. Somerset Academy 28, 6. Pope John Paul II 28. Individual winners: 100 M: 1. Julien, Christopher (HC) 11.29. 200 Dash: 1. Julien, Christopher (HC) 22.83. 400 M Dash: 1. Ebenhack, Justin (HC) 52.28. 100 M hurdles: 1. Peterson, Jake (HC) 16.51. 300 M Hurdles: 1. Farley, Joseph (PJP) 43.72. 4x100: 1. Village Academy 44.37. 4x400: 1. Highlands Christian Academy 3:38.95. 4x800: 1. Highlands Christian Academy 8:55.01. 800 M Run: 1. Walton, Hunter (HC) 2:03.63. 1600 M Run: 1. Hindle, Tucker (BRC) 4:35.00. 3200 M Run: 1. Hindle, Tucker (BRC) 10:29.88. High Jump: 1. Ramsay, Robert (FAU) 5-08.00, 1.72m. Pole Vault: 1. Shaw, Kevin (KA) 10-06.00, 3.20m. Long Jump: 1. Ramsay, Robert (FAU) 20-05.00, 6.22m. Triple Jump:1 Gassant, Ollivier (FAU) 40-06.00, 12.34m. Shot Put: 1. Armstrong, Kennethson (HC) 40-03.00, 12.26m.
▪ District 13-1A, Girls’ — 1. King's Academy 179, 2. Highlands Christian 154, 3. Pope John Paul II 77, 4. Boca Raton Christian 64, 5. Florida Atlantic University 44, 6. Village Academy 40, 7. Somerset Academy 34. Individual winners: 100 M: 1. Edwards, Kiara (VA) 12.99. 200 M: 1. Edwards, Kiara (VA) 27.25. 400 M Dash: 1. Wight, Francesca (KA) 1:07.30. 100 M hurdles: 1. Carroll, Sara (HC) 16.19. 300 M Hurdles: 1 Carroll, Sara (HC) 51.13. 4x100: 1. King's Academy 51.98. 4x400: 1. King's Academy 4:33.02. 4x800: 1. King's Academy 10:34.40. 800 M Run: 1. Richardson, Makayla (KA) 2:32.44. 1600 M: 1. Gomez, Melissa (BRC) 5:44.37. 3200 M: 1. Gomez, Melissa (BRC) 13:02.40. High Jump: 1. Carroll, Sara (HC) 5-02.00,1.57m. Pole Vault: 1. Ahkee, Kelly (KA) 8-00.00, 2.43m. Long Jump: 1. Wilson, Destini (PJP) 16-11.50 NWI 5.16m. Triple Jump: 1. Carroll, Sara (HC) 35-08.50, 10.88m. Discus Throw: 1. Blackburn, Sydney (HC) 97-08, 29.76m. Shot Put: 1. Blackburn, Sydney (HC) 31-02.00, 9.49m.
BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL
▪ Hialeah Miami Lakes d. Pace (25-16, 25-21, 25-21): Franky Zamora 5 kills, 22 assists. Andrew Uria 6 kills, 10 digs. Abraham Castillo 6 kills, 11 digs. Ariel Centurion 13 digs. HML 14-7.
▪ Cardinal Gibbons d. Boca High (25-16, 25-22, 25-19): JT Martin 13 kills, 8 blocks, 5 digs, 10 points, 2 aces. Matt Rodriguez 4 kills, 2 blocks, 8 digs, 11 points. CG 17-7.
▪ Ransom d. Westminster Christian (25-11, 25-5, 25-23): Michael Colonna 7 kills, 8 assists. Nick Cobb 6 kills, 10 assists. Ryan Peluso 9 points, ace, 4 digs. Riss Mendazabol 11 points, 5 digs, 2 kills.
▪ Late Tuesday, GMAC Final — Morning d. Columbus. COL 23-1.
▪ Late Tuesday, GMAC Semifinals — Columbus d. Killian (25-27, 31-29, 15-13): Jorge Gonzalez 10 kills, 10 digs, ace. Alex Suarez 9 kills, 2 blocks. Gabriel Campo 41 assist, 6 digs. COL 23-0.
▪ Late Tuesday, GMAC Quarterfinals — Columbus d. Hialeah Miami Lakes (25-16, 25-21): Ache Lugo 5 kills, 2 blocks. Jorge gonzalez 3 aces, 3 kills, 5 digs. Logan Plummer 9 kills, 4 digs. COL 22-0.
FLAG FOOTBALL
▪ Varela 20, South Miami 6.
This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 10:57 PM with the headline "St. Thomas Aquinas wins key lacrosse game in overtime."