Battle-tested St. Thomas Aquinas boys' lacrosse secures return trip to state final
Close contests have been nothing but common for the St. Thomas Aquinas boys' lacrosse team over the course of the 2025 season.
Count Thursday's state semifinal date with Tampa Plant as another one of those contests.
The Raiders denied a late push from the Panthers in the fourth quarter, punching their ticket to the Class 2A state title game with a 9-6 win.
'Offensively, we've gotta be better,' St. Thomas Aquinas coach Terry Crowley said. 'Tip your cap to their defense, they shut down our guys. They just shut them down. That's key. You take that combination, a little bit of heat, and it was a rough day.'
Turnovers plagued St. Thomas (20-3) early on, with four in the first quarter along with strong goalkeeper play from Plant goalkeeper London Lochan. The junior goalkeeper played a big role in keeping the Raiders off the scoreboard, thanks in part to just under 20 saves made by the junior on a handful of shots from close range and afar.
The Raiders' counter was on the face-off, with Anthony Dara failing to lose a single face-off in the first half. The senior went 15 of 18 for the game, helping give Aquinas a handful of offensive possessions that ultimately were the difference.
'Their goalkeeper played fantastic,' Crowley said. 'I think he had 18 saves. Our face-off guy (Anthony Dara) played the game of his life. There's no doubt those guys came to play.'
The St. Thomas defense was often untested in the first half, due to their domination on faceoffs and taking up possessions that went for north of a minute. When Plant did have offensive opportunities, both of their first half goals came with under a minute remaining in each period.
The Raiders used a 5-1 advantage in the third quarter to distance themselves after a marginal 3-2 lead at halftime, with James Finch, Jacob Eason, Diego Salazar, and Dara all finding the back of the net on Lochan.
'It was dispersed evenly,' Crowley said. 'That just tells you they did a good job with their scout. They knew what our tendencies were, they were cutting stuff off at times. They did a good job. I've got nothing negative to say, but we could've played better.'
After struggling to score until the waning moments of the first, second, and third quarters, Plant got in its rhythm much earlier in the fourth. Brendan Medearis netted one at the 9:59 mark of the fourth, before Drew Walker found the back of the net 55 seconds later. Medearis netted one more at the 7:46 mark to get within two goals before Ben Kupstas, who opened the scoring in the game, ended it for Aquinas with 67 seconds remaining.
St. Thomas will take on Ponte Vedra in a rematch of the 2022 state title contest, with the game slated for noon on Saturday. The Raiders overcame a multi-goal deficit in the waning moments, as Chase Garey gave the program its third state championship that year.
'A herculean effort right now,' Crowley said when asked what it'll take to win. 'They're on a roll, won a big overtime game. That's where teams are dangerous, right now. They've got something to prove. They wanna get even with us and they're rolling right now. It's gonna be a game.'
'A herculean effort right now,' Crowley said when asked what it'll take to win. 'They're on a roll, won a big overtime game. That's where teams are dangerous, right now. They've got something to prove. They wanna get even with us and they're rolling right now. It's gonna be a game.'
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