Boys’ Lacrosse Team Off to a Hot Start in the Spring Season

Alex+Coeytaux+21+prepares+to+catch+a+pass.+

Jonathan Thaler

Alex Coeytaux ’21 prepares to catch a pass.

Ethan Rifkin

With their season cut off short last spring, the Scarsdale Boys’ Lacrosse team was anxious to get out onto the field this season. At the beginning of the school year, no one knew if there was even going to be a season for many of the sports at SHS. Now that we have reached spring, the boys’ lacrosse team is not letting anything get in their way.

To kick off the 2021 season, the boys traveled to Eastchester for an exciting but one-sided affair. With 19 goals scored and one goal conceded, Scarsdale soared to their first victory. Matthew Surin ’23 topped the score sheet with four goals and two assists. Jake Goldstein ’24, Jason Koch ’21, and Ben Miller ’21 each scored two goals and picked up a few assists as well.

For the second game of the season, Scarsdale traveled to John Jay Cross River for another thrilling game. Scarsdale fought hard and was selfless on the field as they defeated John Jay Cross River 7-3. Surin scored two out of the seven for Scarsdale with Graydon Diamond ’22 picking up both a goal and an assist. Colby Baldwin ’23 and Paul Lamonaca ’21 also had dominant games, as Baldwin was 6 for 6 on draws ,with Lamonaca 6 for 7 himself. “The greatest moment this season for me ,and I think a lot of my teammates, was when we beat John Jay, because it was the first time Scarsdale has ever beat John Jay in program history, and we really just came together as a team and played the best lacrosse we possibly could,” said Diamond.

For yet another away game, Scarsdale traveled to Hendrick Hudson High School feeling good after winning their two previous games. This game was the closest of their first three, with a score of 7-5. Ryan Ornstein ’23 had a great game with both a goal and an assist. Again, Andrew Lehrman ’23 was solid in goal as he had five saves and helped Scarsdale come out on top. 

Following this victory, it was finally time for Scarsdale to play their first home game since spring of 2019. Eager to put on a show for the fans, the boys put their hearts out on the field and defeated Harrison 17-4. Scarsdale had many players who were outstanding for their first home game. Koch racked in four goals, as he set an example for his younger teammates. Nate Seslowe ’23 also had an excellent game, scoring two goals and racking up three assists.

For their fifth game, Scarsdale hosted Westlake, with high spirits coming off of their now four game winning streak. Goldstein had a big game, as he scored three goals and two assists. Like Goldstein, Seslowe was able to put three on the scoreboard. Lastly, Baldwin was helpful in all aspects of the game, as he scored a goal, had an assist, and went 7 for 9 on draws. Scarsdale came out on top, winning 12-4.

Now 5-0, Scarsdale wanted to continue to build on their strong foundation with yet another win. In a thrilling game against Pelham at Scarsdale High School, the boys were able to win 5-4. Yet again, the younger players greatly impacted the game with two goals from Ornstein and one goal from both Baldwin and Seslowe. 

Next, Scarsdale traveled to White Plains to play their seventh game of the season and their first league game of the season. Once again, Scarsdale came out on top 8-1 and brought their record to 7-0. The star players in that game were Goldstein and Lehrman: Goldstein scored three goals and had three assists, while Lehrman came up with 11 saves. 

Scarsdale, now at 7-0, hosted Byram Hills in what would be a super exciting game. The game was close until early in the second half, when Scarsdale got a comfortable lead and maintained that lead until the end of the game. Baldwin had a phenomenal game with one goal, several assists, and he was 100%  on draws. “I think the best moment of the season was the under the lights game vs. Byram, because it was the first under the lights game Scarsdale lacrosse ever played. It was a great environment, a lot of fun, and a lot of fans,” Baldwin said. Scarsdale would advance to 8-0 on the season.

In their most recent game of the season, Scarsdale faced off against Nyack at home. They had no trouble dominating the game as they defeated Nyack 17-2. Scarsdale had a great distribution of goals with 12 different players getting at least one goal. The most notable player of this game was Baldwin, with three goals and one assist.

Scarsdale has been lucky to have played their first nine games without a single player getting COVID-19. “It’s been tough with COVID, knowing that [we] can get quarantined at any point and lose two weeks of [our] season,” said Diamond. However, the team has persevered and has been able to overcome a myriad of obstacles.

Scarsdale also continues to show their selflessness in all of their games, which has greatly contributed to their success. “I believe that our team is very selfless in that we don’t care who is scoring the goals, getting the assists, or causing the turnovers. We just care that we’re all doing the right things as a team to help us win games,” said Diamond.

Clearly, the Boys’ Lacrosse team at Scarsdale has had a great start to the season with the huge help of head coach James Synowiez and assistant head coach John Felix. They have succeeded in selecting a team that shows up to play every game, gives it their all, and produces a winning result. They have also succeeded in choosing older players who continue to set an example and bring together the younger players. “The older kids have done a great job in giving confidence to the underclassmen. From day one they told us not to shy away from the moment and to play your game,” said Seslowe.

There is certainly more to come from the Boys’ Lacrosse team, and the fact that they have been able to thrive during a pandemic is a testament to their hard work, unity, and determination.