Santa Fe Lacrosse Rolls Gainesville on Senior Night

The Santa Fe Raiders hosted Gainesville high school on Senior Night. The Hurricanes were aiming to secure their first win of the season on Wednesday, while the Raiders were looking to end their four-game skid and push towards the playoffs. In the end, Santa Fe came away victorious with a final score of 14-3 and a secured spot in the playoffs.

Impressive First Half

The Raiders scored seven of their goals early in the first half from six Santa Fe attackers. Captain Landon McNeil started the game off scoring two and looked to secure a hat-trick in the first quarter. The Hurricanes could not keep up with Santa Fe’s offensive tempo as they trailed 7-0 at halftime.

Face-off Dominance

Santa Fe controlled the game from start to finish, but key face-off wins from senior Karl Johnson helped the Raiders maintain possession for the majority of the game. Johnson would finish the game winning 10 face-offs and scoring off of two of them.

Karl Johnson wins the face off and takes it all the way to extend the Raiders lead to 10.

— Trach Kercsmar (@KercsmarTrach) April 5, 2023

Lockdown Defense from Santa Fe

The Raider defense came out firing on all cylinders, led by starting goalie Tucker Hodges. Hodges tallied eight saves in the first half, keeping Gainesville scoreless at the break. The Hurricanes primarily ran an iso offense, which did not have much success against the stingy Raider defense. Tough stick and body checks by the Raiders defensemen kept Gainesville from shooting inside. Junior Chris Bassett was a force for Santa Fe, bodying smaller Hurricane attackmen and facilitating many of the Raiders’ clears.

Transition Offense

Clearing was a major contributor to Santa Fe’s dominance. The Raiders ran smoothly in transition, picking apart the Gainesville defense. This allowed the Raiders to score in bunches with easy goals on fast breaks.

Senior Captain James Smith makes it 4-0 with a laser shot from outside. Halfway through the second quarter.

— Trach Kercsmar (@KercsmarTrach) April 5, 2023

 

The Raiders put up 10 goals before Gainesville got on the board in the fourth quarter. The first Hurricane goal sparked a run of seven total goals to end the game. The final score was 14-3, with Santa Fe coming away victorious on senior night.

Senior Spotlight for Santa Fe

Senior Night at Santa Fe did not disappoint as multiple seniors would find the back of the net. Captain Landon McNeil would end up scoring his third of the night, and securing a hat-trick. Captain James Smith scored twice in the matchup and was a huge part of the Raiders’ success. Karl Johnson was dominant on face-offs and even contributed to the scoring column twice. While these seniors are moving on, the Raiders have a lot of youth to look forward to in the upcoming season.

The Raiders are now locked into the playoffs. Their first matchup will be against Pedro Menendez High School from St. Augustine on Monday, April 10.