Butler finds extra scoring punch
Having fallen short in its first three outings, another loss would have put Butler behind the eight ball.
Landon Dubyak, Ayden Davis, and Jared Chantz helped make sure that wasn’t the case, combining to lift the Golden Tornado to a 14-6 victory in boys lacrosse action at Art Bernardi Stadium Monday night.
“We fixed some things in practice and we simplified a lot,” Golden Tornado coach Trevor Monteleone said. “Any win, no matter if it’s non-conference or not, is just huge for the mentality of these guys.”
Butler (1-3) wanted to put last week’s defeats to Seneca Valley and Upper St. Clair in the rear-view mirror. Getting back to basics — and an increased vigor — did just that.
“We really came out with energy, that’s what we’ve had a problem with,” said Dubyak, who opened the scoring midway through the initial quarter. “It will give us way more confidence with chemistry ... I think we’re making progress.”
After his prior shot leaped off the post moments earlier, Davis slipped one past Knoch’s Hunter Essary with 1:35 left in the first period. Dubyak made it 3-0 less than a minute into the second and netted his third marker five minutes before halftime.
To turn in a hat trick of his own, Davis notched a pair of goals less than a minute apart before the second frame ended.
Where Dubyak benefits from his athleticism, Davis touts impressive stick skills, Monteleone said. At one juncture, Davis faked a pass behind him, tricking his defender into giving him enough room to fire off a shot, which sailed wide. Still, the move caught the crowd’s attention.
“That’s all stuff that you just do in your backyard that just translates on the field,” Monteleone said.
Dubyak rounded out with a total of five goals on the night.
“The shots were there,” Dubyak said. “The past couple of games, I’ve struggled getting it to the net, but tonight it was there.”
Both senior Liam McClaine and junior Grant Terwilliger recorded a pair of goals in the second half. The former’s bid for a hat trick was waved off with 10:01 to go. Senior Cole Hurley and freshman Brock Collins also got on the board.
Chantz had success on face-offs throughout, buying the Golden Tornado additional possessions.
“He probably faced his best competition against Seneca (Valley) and went over 50%,” Monteleone said. “Tonight, I don’t know if he lost. In lacrosse, possession is everything and your face-off kid is everything. That just sparks your whole team.”
Despite the loss, Knoch (0-2) coach Jeff Mullen was inspired by the Knights’ effort. Freshman Codi Mullen and senior Aaron Butler both turned in hat tricks. In goal, Essary fought off a bevy of shots.
“I think we learned tonight that we can pretty much play with anybody,” Mullen said. “For us to hang in the first half with them like that, it was really impressive. Our guys are young and we’re learning every game.”
Butler gets over a week off of competition before it squares off with Norwin at home next Wednesday. Knoch travels to Mars Tuesday night.
