On Wednesday, March 13, the varsity boys lacrosse team opened their season at home against the Rolling Meadows Mustangs, kicking off a high-scoring contest that saw the Wildcats win 18-2 to get their first win of the season.
The team had previously ended the 2022-23 season with a cumulative record of 10-9 and third place in the North Suburban Conference (NSC), ahead of the Lake Zurich Bears, Mundelein Mustangs and Stevenson Patriots. With the new season starting with a home game, the team took the field ready to play.
Junior midfielder Sam Seth (1) won the first face-off and possession to start the game. This kicked off a downfield push that saw Libertyville’s first goal of the game scored by senior attackman Tommy Gonnella (15).
“I think honestly, we just played team ball,” Gonnella, who has been on varsity since sophomore year, said. “Everyone got goals. It was great. We were just passing the ball, letting the ball do the work for us.”
The Wildcats scored five times throughout the first quarter, including the goal scored by Gonnella. Other scorers included seniors Jake Gimbert (7) with two, Luke Kazian (5) with one and Luca DiCarlo (12), a commit to Ohio Wesleyan University, with one.
The Mustangs only managed one goal in the first quarter, scored by junior Brendan Ferguson (6).
Head Coach Brady Sullivan, in his sixteenth year in this role, said that the team’s offense had really good movement.
“We were able to play a ton of guys,” Coach Sullivan said, “so it was nice to see everybody on the roster know their jobs, know their roles and go through and execute. When everybody on the team can go in and do their jobs and know what we’re running, then we’re in a pretty good place.”
The second quarter saw an additional eight goals scored by Libertyville, pushing their lead to a commanding 13-1. DiCarlo scored once, as did sophomore Paul Santi (31), senior Liam Tansey (18) and freshman Connor Luxon (24). Gonnella and senior Kyle Carollo (4) each scored twice.
“We just want to grow game by game,” Carollo, a commit to North Central College, said, “so by the time it comes [to] playoffs, we’re ready and we’re playing our best ball.”
The third quarter started a running clock and ended scoreless, both teams shoring up their defense to prevent any goals, while Libertyville goalie and senior Charlie Watson (00), who played the first half, switched out for fellow goalie and senior Jake Stilling (26).
The Wildcats had a 12-point lead going into the fourth quarter and simply needed to hold it. DiCarlo and Tansey each scored once again, while Luxon, an attackman playing his first ever high school game, scored three more times.
Luxon said that his four goals for the team felt amazing.
“I play for these boys and it’s just so much fun,” Luxon said. “I’m having a blast.”
Gonnella said that he hopes to take the season as far as he can.
“It’s our last ride,” Gonnella, who has been playing since first grade, said. “We got a great group of seniors so we’ll definitely go far.”
The team will next play at home on Friday, March 15, against the Carmel Corsairs.