Stopping 10 Rutgers shots just was not enough for Army men’s lacrosse goalie Sean Byrne Saturday. The junior also managed to score the first goal of his college career to spur the No. 12 Black Knights to a decisive 9-3 victory over the visiting Scarlet Knights.
Byrne, who took over the starting spot against North Carolina last year and has now started in eight straight games over two seasons, led an Army defense that completely stifled Rutgers throughout the contest. It was Army’s third straight win over the Scarlet Knights.
But as well as he and his teammates played defensively, it was his goal in the second quarter, a 60-yard laser which put the Black Knights ahead, 5-0, that was the most memorable moment of the game.
“They were playing a 10-man ride to pressure us on the clear,” said Byrne, who had scored three goals from the goalie position in high school and in summer leagues. “After I passed the ball to AJ (Pilate), I noticed that their goal was open. I got the ball back from him and just shot it in. We have struggled against the 10-man rush and have been practicing against it a lot. I know that one day I would have the opportunity to possible score off of it.
“To be honest, it was great to see the reaction of my teammates to that goal. And it was great to be part of the goal celebration too. That does not happen very often for goalies.”
As impressive as Byrne’s goal was, the game also showcased Army’s suffocating defense that allowed just 13 shots on goal. If Army hopes to reach the Promised Land, also known as a cherished spot in the NCAA tournament in May, it will be the squad’s defense that might make the biggest difference.
Pilate has been the anchor of the defense for four years now with Patriot League and national honors piling in along the way. The Army senior had three forced turnovers, five groundballs and an assist in the contest.
Other defensive players are also stepping up. In addition to Byrne and Pilate, John Sullivan has become a complete compliment to Pilate, while long-stick middie Christian Fournier and short-stick middie Christian Mazar have also become more visible on defense for the Black Knights and more frustrating for their opponents.
“It is a helluva game when you can hold a Division I team from the Big Ten Conference to just three goals and you can score too,” said Army head coach Joe Alberici about Byrne. “Sean was just terrific today and the defense around him was outstanding. It was a great day all the way around and, particularly, on defense.”
Even with Army’s deep and productive offensive players, Alberici said that having a strong defense is a great insurance policy against a hot goalie in net for the opponent or a down day when the offense is just not clicking.
“The entire defense did their job today,” said Alberici. “They were dominate on the field, controlling ground balls on that part of the field and simply outmaneuvering their matchups today.”
Offensively, Army (2-0), who plays at No. 9 Yale Wednesday, was led by freshmen phenom Brayden Fountain, who had four goals and two assists, and single goals by Jackson Eicher, Gunnar Fellows, Aiden Weisenborn and Evan Plunkett.
