Upper Dublin and Plymouth Whitemarsh boys lacrosse teams focused on getting better after their game on Thursday. The difference was in their timeframes.
The Cardinals, who scored the first six goals and had an 11-1 lead, are a veteran team aiming to improve quickly before facing Radnor, the three-time defending PIAA-3A champ.
UD sophomore attack Nate Brown said they had to shake off the rust from spring break and that they need to do better as they have a game against Radnor on Saturday.
PW coach Ryan Bonnani is focused on building a program for the future.
Bonnani mentioned that while everyone wants to win, he is focused on building a strong program for Plymouth Whitemarsh for the long term, similar to what he did at Notre Dame Prep in New Jersey and now at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Bonnani emphasized that building the program for Plymouth Whitemarsh is a marathon, not a sprint.
Brown led Upper Dublin with a hat trick, while Cameron Osborne and Kyle Spirt both scored twice for the Cardinals, who won their second straight game. They are now preparing to face Radnor on Saturday.
Brown expressed gratitude for the support of his teammates and talked about the team's excitement for the upcoming games.
Jack Cooper scored for Plymouth Whitemarsh, but Upper Dublin regained their six-goal advantage before halftime.
Brown noted that the team is still developing their shooting skills and mentioned key factors in their shooting game.
The Cardinals scored the first four goals in the second half, extending their lead to 11-1.
Plymouth Whitemarsh scored the next three goals, but Upper Dublin maintained their lead and won 11-5.
Bonnani expressed pride in his team's progress and highlighted the potential of the younger players.
“But compared to last year when we played them I believe that we really, once again, improved in the second half and really began to make progress to come back.”
PW lost to Upper Dublin 12-3 last March before going on to finish Bonnani’s first season at 8-10, a four-win improvement from 2022.
The Colonials will go to Central Bucks South in an SOL non-conference game 6:45 p.m. Monday.
Osborne gave Upper Dublin a 1-0 lead 50 seconds into Thursday’s game with Shohen doubling the advantage at 9:07 in the first quarter. Brown scored his first 23 seconds later.
UD’s lead stayed 3-0 until Osborne found the back of the net at 11:12 in the second quarter. After a strike from Spirt at 9:58, then Guagliardo’s goal at 2:17 had the Cardinals up 6-0.
