Varsity Boys Lacrosse

The varsity girls and boys lacrosse team will be playing in the quarterfinals of the NCISAA State  Lacrosse Tournament on Thursday, May 12.  Support the Warriors by attending the away game or watch the live stream.

St. David's vs. Asheville School
Varsity Girls -  4:30 PM
Varsity Boys - 6:30 PM

Location:
Asheville School
360 Asheville School Road
Asheville, NC

Livestream:
Girls Game - 4:30 PM
https://events.locallive.tv/events/81613
Boys Game: 6:30 PM 
https://events.locallive.tv/events/81612

Many varsity teams played on Monday, March 28th. Here are their updates: 

GIRLS SOCCER v. RAVENSCROFT

It was a tough outing for the girls soccer team who traveled to Ravenscroft and went up against a talented opponent. By halftime the team was down 0-7. With two more goals allowed in the second the game was called by mercy-rule and the team fell 0-9. The group is piecing together different levels of experience and will continued to be challenged but Coach Cornejo is certain the group can stay positive and "keep swinging" in their games.

BOYS LACROSSE v. NRCA

In their match-up against NRCA on Monday, the varsity boys lacrosse team came up short. Harper Pennington scored 3 goals during the Warrior's game against the Knights leading the team, but his efforts couldn't quite carry his team to victory. Both teams were balanced with young and old players, but NRCA played a more consistent game pressuring the ball and forcing many turnovers on St. David players, many times leading to goals for the Knights. The game had similar tones to last week's game against Cary Academy, where they played hard in the game unable to cash in with goals when they needed them. Captain and senior Clay Matthews played another outstanding game, causing problems to NRCA offensive player along with teammates Henry Koon and Hart Miles. Goalie Jack Burke continues to show great courage in the goal making saves and getting the ball up field. "Lacrosse is a team sport, and like spokes on a wheel, each player plays an integral role for success. We'll continue to work on areas that need attention and good things will happen for these fine young men", said Coach Hink. Also scoring in the game were Clay Matthews, senior middle Nolan Homeister(1 goal & 1 assist), freshman attackman Cooper Berkoff(1 goal & 1 assist) and senior middle John Hauser(1 assist ). They leave for conference opponent Arendell Parrott on Thursday, the 30th for the teams first conference game of the season. 

BASEBALL v. RAVENSCROFT

The boys baseball team traveled to Ravenscroft Monday, March 28th where the team started off slowly down by 10 runs in the 5th inning. Admirably, the boys fought back hard with 6 runs in the top half of the fifth inning. Another highlight moment of the game was Luke Nelson who had a hit and an RBI which was a really exceptional play. Despite the loss Coach Lobeda said "he was happy to see success in some smaller moments even though they lost." The team fell 6-16 and is back on the field Wednesday when they travel to Arendell Parrott. 

On a wet Thursday, March 24th, a few of our Varsity teams competed. Here are their updates. 

TRACK & FIELD (Written by Mary Elizabeth Martin) 

On Thursday, March 24^th, St. David’s Track and Field traveled to Ravenscroft School to participate in a 5-team meet under very swampy conditions, with Cary Christian, Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill, Carolina Friends School, and Ravenscroft. The team performed well with Kailey Wadsworth tying her own school record with a 4’6 high jump. Strong placings for the women’s team included second place for Laura Martin in the 100-meter hurdles, a first place in the 4x1 relay for Maya Foster, Mary Elizabeth Martin, Isabel Driggers, and Kailey Wadsworth, a second place in the discus for Rebecca Driggers, and a second in high jump and long jump for Kailey Wadsworth. Martin also took second place in the girls shot-put with a personal record breaking throw. Strong events for the men’s team included a first place in the 300-meter hurdles for Ghiair Chisley with a personal record of 46.53, and second place in the shot-put for Fabián Fallas Retaña. Jackson Rouser took first place in the long-jump and broke a school record while scoring first in the discus with a throw of 103’7. The mens 4x400 relay also ran well with William Fox, Dhru Govindji, Kaishun Sato-Choi, and Ghiar Chisley placing third. Overall, the team did very well and had a strong meet. Good job Warriors! 

GOLF: Warriors Prevail in Sloppy Conditions (Written by: Davis Adams) 

It was an emotional day for the St. David’s Varsity Boys Golf Team. Not only was it an important EPIC Conference match, but it was also the first meeting of the season against their rivals, Cary Christian. Despite the soggy and wet conditions at MacGregor Downs Country Club, St. David’s remained focused and determined. St. David’s posted a team score of 291, 3-over-par, defeating Cary Christian by 15, Parrot Academy by 46, and Grace Christian by 83 strokes. Michael LaSasso once again medaled, this time with a blistering 4-under-par 68. Seniors Davis Adams and Christian Conway shot a pair of 2-over-par 74’s, and eighth grader Preston Hage added a 3-over-par 75 to complete scoring for the Warriors. Eighth grader Spence Saik shot 83, and senior Grayson Chesson fired an 87. Coach Wilson was pleased with the effort, and had this to say: “In our 2nd EPIC Conference match at MacGregor Downs in rainy, muddy conditions, our Warrior golfers displayed great composure and focus on the task at hand. We played great golf and scored 3 over par 291 as a team. Beating Cary Christian by 15 shots and other teams by as many as 83 shots, and making an early season statement that we’re here to play hard and win! I’m very proud of our Warrior golfers! Congrats on the WIN gentlemen!” The Warriors look to continue their hot streak on Monday the 28th, where they’ll travel to Lochmere Golf Club for another EPIC Conference match. 

 LACROSSE: Cary Academy defeats St. David's Boys Lacrosse in Overtime

In a really great showing by the Warriors, the team took on Cary Academy on a wet Thursday, March 24^th. The Warriors made a strong comeback against a good Chargers team in the 4th quarter, only to come up short in overtime. In the first half, the opponent outplayed St. David’s and ended up with a 5-2 going into the third quarter. Making some adjustments in the offense and defensive coverage, the Warriors began to chip away at the lead, cutting CA's edge to 7-4 going into the 4th quarter. Not to be denied and sensing that victory was within their grasp, the defense made some key takeaways and got the ball to the offense, who, with great passes leading to scores, cut the lead to 8-7 with 1:30 seconds remaining. Redmond Smith, who filled in for face off middle Davis Wall, who was unable to play, won the face-off which in turn lead to tying score. Smith then won the face-off again, getting the ball to senior middle Nolan Homeister, who had a chance to score the go ahead goal with seconds remaining, but good defense by the Chargers thwarted the opportunity. Going into the sudden death overtime, Smith again gave us an opportunity to gain the offensive possession,  unfortunately with a turnover to the Chargers, they took the ball the length of the field and scored the winning goal to end the game.  St. David scores were made by senior middies Harper Pennington(3 goals and 2 assists) and Nolan Homeister (1 goal). Junior attackman Will Horn added 1 goal and freshman attackman Cooper Berkoff cashed in for 3 goals.  “Tonight we saw a St. David’s team that wouldn't quit and  overcame a deficit and almost pull out a victory against a strong Charger team. Look for more good things to happen to this St. David varsity boys lacrosse team”, said Coach Hink. The boys play again at home on Monday, March 28^th at 4:15 against NRCA.

It was a packed Tuesday of spring season games on March 22nd. Here are the team updates. 

Varsity Boys Lacrosse

It was a beautiful day for lacrosse, but the day belonged to Ravenscroft as they maintained offensive possession for 41 min out of 48 min of regulation play in their game against the Warriors. With the exception the 2nd quarter, the game was closer than the score shows. The team made good progress in all aspects of the game, but the small things have kept the team from making bigger strides towards success. The one goal of the game came from midfielder Harper Pennington who took the ball from down the middle, made a great dodge and got the ball in the net. Freshman goalie Jack Burke did a great job in the goal and despite being peppered from the opponent is showing great promise. The final score was defeat for the Warriors 1-14. "The most challenging part of our season is now behind us and we look for the team to make their mark on the conference", said Coach Doug Hink. 

Varsity Boys Tennis (written by Craig Sanguily)

The Varsity boys tennis team played against Raleigh Charter School at Pullen Park and had another tough loss. With Craig Sanguily and Tom Deloche absent, the lineup had was changed significantly. Lucas Pisciotta played 2 doubles and 1 singles match, losing his singles and one doubles match. The final score was 2-7 with 1 win and great play in doubles from Lucas Pisciotta and Owen Urban. Alex Barroso won his singles with more great play and keeping pressure on his opponent. Coach was "proud of Lucas for testing his limits and playing 3 matches. It was a hard game to win with the absences." The Warriors will play again next Thursday, the 31^st against Arendell Parrot Academy. 

Varsity Girls Lacrosse

The girls lacrosse team hosted Ravenscroft on a beautiful day. The team came out very strong in the first half and stayed neck-and-neck in the score through the half ending the second half only down 1, 7-8. After a tough battle back and forth in the first half, Ravenscroft showed up tough in the second half. Despite a great effort across the board, the team couldn’t get the ball off the draw or find the back of the net in that second half. "I’m proud of the way the girls continued to compete despite it, and look forward to working on our opportunities for improvement." The final score was 21-11 with some really important and impressive play by Anne Slater Barnes, Carolyn Ames, Kailynn Woodall and Margaret Batchelder offensively and some great stops by Samantha Leshnock and Elizabeth Holderness on defense in addition to some awesome stops by Anisa Barutis in the cage. 

The Warriors were excited to kick of their first Friday evening games in the spring season on March 11th on what turned out to be a glorious day of weather after a wet and cold week with many sports cancellations. All at home on our well-kept fields and court our varsity teams hosted worth opponents for many to open up their 2022 seasons. The varsity boys tennis team made a late add to their calendar and played Trinity School. The boys lacrosse team hosted a very talented Nansemond-Suffolk Academy team on the John A. Murray field. The boys baseball team took on Pilot Mill, a conglomerate team that allows kids who are without school teams of their own to compete. Finally, the girls soccer team kicked off the latest game of Friday's match-ups against Friendship Christian at our satellite complex on Yonkers Road. Here are their updates.

VARSITY BOYS TENNIS (written by Craig Sanguily)

In a home matchup against Trinity, the boys tennis team saw some old friends who previously played at St. Davids. It was a tough matchup, as the team was not full strength without Tom DeLoache or Will Jalkut. The lineup had everyone moved up 1 place so, Alex Barroso was playing first seed, Lucas Pisciotta at second seed, Craig Sanguily at third, Charlie Moses fourth, Walker Coley fifth, and finally Owen Urban playing in the sixth spot. All but Craig Sanguily and Lucas Pisciotta won their singles matches. Craig ended with an easy win with a final score of 6-0 in the first set, and 6-1 in the second set. Lucas won with ease as well, both sets ending 6-0. Everyone else struggled a tough defeat against great opponents. For doubles, Lucas and Craig playing 2nd seed won with an 8-4 score.  Third place doubles suffered a hard loss with a 1-8 final score. The coach said, “I’m pleased with everyone's performance, and although we lost, he was proud of everyone for trying their best.” Overall, it was a tough matchup, and Trinity ended up winning in a close game ending with a 6-3 score. The Warrior’s next game is March 22nd at Raleigh Charter School.  

VARSITY BOYS LACROSSE 

The varsity boys lacrosse team played against an excellent Nanesmond-suffolk school out of Virginia and came up short, losing 14-2. Bright spots of the game though, came from senior face-off middle Davis Wall, who was able to win the majority of possessions. Freshman long stick middle, Walker Tattersail, did an excellent job defending and clearing the ball to the offense. Freshman goalie Jack Burke started his first game and perform very well against a lot offensive power from a highly skilled Saint's offense. The half time score was 6-1, which still felt within reach to the team, but the Saint's offense wore the team down in the second half. Scoring for the warrior's was freshman attack man Cooper Berkoff unassisted along with senior middle Nolan Homeister, also unassisted. The captains for this year - seniors Clay Matthews, Henry Koon, John Hauser and freshman Cooper  Berkoff - lead the group well with a lot of communication and effort. Coach Doug Hink added, that "this was a good learning experience for all, providing many aspects of the game for us to improve on."

VARSITY BOYS BASEBALL

The boys varsity baseball team was excited to hit the field and start off their season with good competition in a Pilot Mill team that has different students on their roster from different schools. The team started off early opening up the game with a 3 run home run in the second inning by Leyton Bilderback. Early on there was a great outing by both Bilderback and Grey McMahon pitching. Both Davis Crowder and Grey McMahon also contributed with a couple of timely hits to keep the momentum going and pushing the Warriors to an 11-5 victory over the opponent. It was a "great way to start the season", said head coach Joe Lebeda. 

VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER

The varsity girls took on a talented opponent and with a mixture of different skill levels on their team are still learning how to put all the pieces together. "This early in the season can always be hard", said Coach Cornejo, "because we haven't had a change to practice much together. But, having said that, there were a lot of encouraging performances by some players and as we get more comfortable with one another this team is going to improve quite a bit. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season." The group fell behind early in the game with the Falcons taking an early lead with the first goal in net. The team lost 1-4 with Kate Weston scoring the teams only goals. 

Our Warriors scored the 1st goal of the game, but FCD proved to be too much for our team to handle as they scored often throughout the match. Even though the game was one sided, there were many positives taken from the game. 1st, the team played with heart the entire game and never gave up. 2nd, they played as a team that belong together. 3rd, they played with respect and composure, and 4th, at the end, they all held their heads high and conducted themselves as champions. For the game, senior attackmen Miles Rieker and Cole Diehl each had 2 goals. Joining them was junior middie Nolan Homeister with 2 goals. Senior goal keeper Joe Pisciotta did another great job, stopping many more shots on goal then were let in.   Miles Rieker finished the season with 29 goals and 6 assists and Cole Diehl added 18 goals and 6 assists to lead all scorers for the season. Congratulations go to attackman Miles Rieker and junior defenseman Clay Matthews for earning All EPIC honors.  The senior group of Rieker, Diehl, Pisciotta, Crowder, Barr and Eastmann represented what a        St. David lacrosse player should be.  "Coach Hink said, he thoroughly enjoyed coaching the seniors as well as all the fine young men on this team. What does the future of St. David lacrosse look like? Pretty good to me. Thanks for the memories and the privilege to coach at St. David's".

Our Warriors took advantage of sloppy play by the Knights and took a commanding 6-2 1st half lead. Star face-off middie Davis Wall, who had 1 goal and 1 assist in the 1st half, injured his knee and could not compete in the 2nd half.  Junior middie Redmond Smith took over responsibilities and performed well for our team.  The 2nd half was a hard fought contest, but due to smart plays from senior attackmen Miles Rieker(2 goals) and Cole Diehl(4 goals 2 assists), the warriors were able to maintain the lead thru the remainder of the game.  Rounding out the scoring was Junior middie Harper Pennington(2 goals 1 assist), Nolan Homeister(1 goal).  Today's game saw strength from the defense once again as goalie Joe Pisciotta was at top form, making save after save. Defensive highlights came from Henry Koon's monster goal which sparked the Warrior's offense, and then late in the game while we were 2 men short from a couple of penalties, Clay Matthews recovered a ground ball and took it the distance finding Miles Rieker for a goal, punctuating a hard fought game.  The Warrior will play next Tuesday, May 11 (6:00 PM) at Forsyth Country Day School in the NCISAA State Tournament Semifinals. 

The defense, lead by phenomenal goal tending by senior Joe Pisciotta, persevered against a very good Charger attack.  The long poles of senior Brayden Crowder, junior captain Clay Matthews and junior Henry Koon played a great game having to adjust against multiple offense sets that the Chargers ran against us. Once again, it was Junior face-off middie Davis Wall who controlled the ball and set up our Warrior offense for the better part of the game, which enabled us to stay in the lead and come away with a good win.

Hot shooting from Miles Rieker(4 goals), Harper Pennington(5 goals 2 assists), Cole Diehl(4 goals 1 assist), Nolan Homeister(4 assists), John Hauser(1 goal 1 assist) and Redmond Smith(1 assist) over came a early scoring surge by the Chargers to get our Warriors to a 9-6 lead at the half. The second half was like a chess game with both sides scoring, but the Chargers were unable to retake the lead. With 2 minutes left in the game, Cary Academy scored, cutting the lead to 14-13 but the warrior offense got the ball to senior attackman Cole Diehl who ran out the clock to secure the victory. Our warriors never quit and their determination was the difference in the ball game.

The varsity boy’s lacrosse team hosted Cape Fear Academy on Thursday.  The game was senior night for the warriors, but the victory went to the Hurricanes as their skill level and player numbers proved too much for our team.  The 1st quarter was pretty much balanced with good defense, however, CFA's players began to wear our defense down which led to a 6-1 halftime lead. The 2nd half was all Hurricanes despite scoring from senior attackman and captain Miles Rieker (2 goals), junior midfielders John Hauser (2 goals) and Harper Pennington (1 goal).  Senior goalie Joe Pisciotta was tested with many shots. Junior Davis Wall (face-off middie) and defensive long poles: senior Brayden Crowder, juniors Henry Koon and Clay Matthews all played extremely well throughout the match. Despite allowing 13 goals, Pisciotta saved many more including numerous shots from close range. Varsity Head Coach Doug Hink continued to coach until the final whistle and in true form used the opportunity as learning lesson for his team. 

This game held a special meaning more than most as the seniors of the team were honored along with their parents at the end of the game.  The home game was the last one for seniors: Miles Rieker, Cole Diehl, Joe Pisciotta, Brayden Crowder, Owen Barr and Corey Eastmann.  During the senior recognition Coach Hink spoke from the heart about each of his senior athletes and the impact that they have made on the team and growth as an individual. This was also the last regular season home game for Coach Hink for he has announced his retirement from coaching.  A larger crowd than usual was in attendance for this game that filled the stands with former players, parents and friends of the Hink family.  After the senior recognition Coach Hink was presented a plaque from the athletic director in appreciation for his commitment and dedication to the St. David’s Lacrosse program.  “Coach Hink did an exceptional job as the Varsity Boys Lacrosse for he has set a high standard of excellence.  His success did not only come in the wins that he achieved on the field but more importantly in the lives of his players that influenced and had an impact on.  We have been blessed to have Coach Hink part of the athletic staff.”  Athletic Director, Ricardo Viera. 

The varsity boys lacrosse team swept the Patriots from Arendell Parrott Academy with a 6-5  victory.  Having been beaten on their field last week by our Warriors, the Patriots came to John A. Murray stadium with revenge on the minds.  The game started just as before with heightened physical play as the Patriots jumped to a 2-1 1st quarter lead by forcing many Warrior turnovers.  Not to be out done, great defensive play by Koon, Matthews and Crowder and goal tending by Joe Pisciotta enabled the Warriors get back in the game with a half time score of 3-3. The 2nd half was exciting with scoring and defensive play by each team. With just over 2 minutes remaining in the game, the Patriots scored giving the Patriots a 5-4 lead.  Davis Wall won the next face-off which led to a score by senior middie John Hauser, who finished with 2 goals. With the game now tied and 1:30 remaining, Wall won the face-off again and Miles Rieker(2 goals) got the ball and slipped a great shot past their goalie to seal the victory with seconds remaining.

The Warriors out play Cary Christian for a 8-3 victory. Playing on their home field, Cary Christian came out playing aggressive lacrosse to take a 2-1 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Sloppy play by the warriors led to many offensive possessions for the Knights. However, just like the previous game we played against them, our team settled down, reduced mental errors and began to control the game.  Half time score was 4-2 Warriors. Second half was well played by both teams, but thanks to scoring by seniors Cole Diehl (3 goals) and Miles Rieker (3 goals, 1 assist) along with junior middie Harper Pennington (2 goals, 2 assists),  the Warrior offense was too much and we came away victorious with a 8-3 win.  Goalie Joe Pisciotta played another marvelous game, making numerous saves against excellent shooting by Cary Christian.

St. David out sticks Parrott academy 9-3 in varsity boys lacrosse.  The first 18 minutes of the game belong to the Patriots whose aggressive play overwhelmed the Warriors, which led to a 2-1 lead. We regained our style of play and began to take the momentum away for a 3-2 halftime edge. The 2nd half was all Warriors as we controlled the ball on offense and made good passes leading to easy goals. Our offense was more balanced with scoring coming from attackmen Miles Rieker and Cole Diehl along with mid fielders Nolan Homeister, converted defenseman to middie Harper Pennington and faceoff middie Davis Wall.  Defenseman Henry Koon scored in the game giving him 3 for the season and new record for long pole scoring.  Goalie Joe Pisciotta played another outstanding game shutting down many Patriot scoring opportunities.

The varsity boys lacrosse team traveled to Cape Fear Academy to play a very skilled and deep Hurricane team.  Miles Rieker scored the 2 goals in the game.  Also playing well was face-off midfielder Davis Wall who controlled the face-offs throughout the game.  Captain and goalie Joseph Pisciotta had another outstanding game despite the score as he faced numerous Hurricane shooters throughout the game.  The Warriors look  to bounce back in their next game on the road against conference opponent Arendell Parrott Academy.

Thanks to Brayden Crowder's first goal of the season in the final seconds of the game the varsity boys lacrosse team earned the win over the Knights to go 1-0 in conference play.  Miles Rieker was a constant threat by attacking the goal and finished with 4 goals and 1 assist.  Joseph Pisciotta anchored the Warriors in goal by playing another top shelf game to keep the game close.  At halftime the game was tied 5-5 but Coach Hink put together a plan and provided inspiration to the team to finish strong.  The Warriors look forward to their next game this Friday as they travel to Cape Fear Academy.