Santa Fe Boys Lacrosse Falls Below .500
ALACHUA — Santa Fe boys lacrosse fell short in its final match before spring break against Fleming Island (Orange Park) on Thursday night.
The 12-6 loss dropped the Raiders back below .500 heading into their week off. Santa Fe (3-4) never led and the only tie was at 1-1.
Fleming Island (5-3) came hot off the first whistle as it was able to jump ahead 4-1 by the end of the first quarter led by two early goals from midfielder Spencer Hughes.
Santa Fe responded with three of the first four goals of the second quarter to bring the deficit down to one.
The Golden Eagles never looked back from there as they went on to score four unanswered goals to end the first half up 9-4. Junior attackman Caden Lopez put up a hat trick in the first half, bringing him to a team-leading 20 goals on the season.
The second half was more of the same for Fleming Island, as it outscored Santa Fe 3-2, including a fourth-quarter shutout.
Despite the end result, Presten Keel was a bright spot for the Raiders, notching a hat trick on the night. The senior midfielder is a catalyst on the team’s offense and kept Santa Fe in the game for much of the second half.
“Preston is one of our most valuable players, he can do everything,” Santa Fe coach Sean Green said. “Without him, we’re really lost. We’re really thankful to have him.”
Green is halfway through his second season coaching Santa Fe, where he posted a 5-5 record in year one at the helm. He comes to Alachua with more than a decade of lacrosse experience, most recently coaching at Buchholz.
“It’s been fantastic to really see the culture grow. We’ve grown in numbers on the team and we’ve grown in commitment,” Green said. “So I have a lot of faith that the program is going to continue to grow.”
The Raiders have found a way to win meaningful games this season, standing at the top of their district. All three of their wins have come against district opponents, with a shutout win against Eastside and a sweep of Newberry.
“We have a lot of heart, these guys put everything on the line,” Green said. “They’re committed to playing lacrosse and also committed to being good men.”
Santa Fe will finish the season after spring break with three of the toughest teams on its schedule. The first of those games will come against the top team in the Gainesville area, Oak Hall (8-1) at home on March 23. The Raiders aren’t afraid of the challenge and will spend the week preparing to finish the season strong.
“I think with our athletes and the skill that they’re really growing, we’re a threat to anybody,” Green said.
Category: High School Sports, Lacrosse, Santa Fe High School
