Before the season even started, Orange lacrosse coach Chandler Zirkle knew the lineup he had returning for this spring would be, to put it mildly, formidable.
Only five seniors graduated from last year’s squad that reached the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional championship game for the first time in program history. Leading scorer Connor Kruse, face-off ace Jake Wimsatt, midfielder Joe Cady, goalkeeper Katie Wolter and defensive standouts Sascha Van Praag, Nick Cardone, Josiah Tisdale and Braden Hunt would all be back.
But what would be the best style to improve on a 17-3 record, the best in school history?
The answer is whatever can work on a given night. It’s really the difference between having a good team and having a good program.
On Monday night against their top conference rival, Northwood, Orange was a defensive juggernaut.
The defensive corps of Tisdale, Cardone, and Hunt held the Chargers to just three goals in the final 17:51 while Kruse scored all four of his goals in the second half as Orange defeated Northwood 11-8 at Auman Stadium. The Panthers are now in sole possession of first place in the Mid-Carolina Conference at 7-0. Orange is the two-time defending conference champion.
Senior Tigh Metheny scored two goals in the second half and finished with three points.
It’s Orange’s 24th straight win against a Mid-Carolina Conference opponent.
“I wanted this to be a defensive game,” Zirkle said after a celebratory postgame meeting in the Orange Fieldhouse. “We have the talent to do it.”
As much as Orange returns this season, the most pleasant surprise has been the freshmen who have filled in amid player absences. Freshman Matthew Macneir stepped in for Wimsatt and dominated the face-off circle. Macneir won all but two draws in the second quarter, which helped keep the Chargers scoreless for the final 12:57 of the first half.
Zirkle also used freshman Brett Clark, sophomore Kale Womble and senior Seth Hall on defense for another wave of players that the thinner Chargers had to reckon with.
Northwood (5-1, 3-1) got a hat trick from senior Taylor Laberge in the first quarter. Laberge scored off three bounce shots, the final one coming off a man-up goal with :57 remaining in the first quarter after Hunt was penalized for slashing. The Chargers led 3-2 at the end of the first quarter.
Orange responded with all three goals of the second stanza. Metheny scored off a feed from freshman Brandon Williams to even the game. After Laberge was penalized for an offside penalty, Orange notched its own man-up marker when Nevius dumped it in off an assist from Josh Cowan. With 7:47 remaining in the first half, oophomore Luke Nevius unleashed a rocket from 17 yards away that beat Northwood freshman goalkeeper James Flanagan to put Orange ahead 5-3 at halftime.
Despite the halftime lead, Northwood longstick defenseman William Johnson did a stellar job defending Kruse, who was held to one assist in the first half.
Northwood’s defense opened the second half by keeping the Orange defense off of its rhythm. The Panthers were held without a goal for 16:13. The Chargers’ Will Smith and Carson Fortunes each scored unassisted markers to even the game.
Williams came back with his first goal off an assist from Cady. Kruse got on track when a pass from Cady was knocked down in front of the net. Cruse won the ground ball and dunked it in to push Orange’s lead to 7-5.
Metheny opened the second half when he found Kruse on the doorstep for his second goal of the game. After Smith added his second goal off a gorgeous feed from defenseman Gianmarc Byers, Cady drew a double-team and dumped it off to a wide-open Kruse to put the Panthers ahead 9-6. Cady and Kruse would add two more goals in the final three minutes.
Orange will travel to Carrboro on Wednesday before heading to Wilmington and facing Laney on Friday.