St. Andrew’s dominates Belen Jesuit

BOCA RATON – St. Andrew’s lacrosse is heading back to states for the first time in three years.

On Friday night, the Scots’ dominated Belen Jesuit, 9-1, to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2015. The Wolverines scored with 1:47 left in the game to avoid the shutout after St. Andrew’s pulled starting goalie Justin Lugo.

“Defense wins championships,” senior defenseman Oliver Alpert said. “We’ve been stressing that all year. We’re a heavy defensive team — a lot of upperclassmen. So it’s our main focus to lock down the defense.”

St. Andrew’s (17-2), will face Jupiter next Friday night at Boca Raton High School with a spot in the state championship on the line. The Scots, who won 14 state titles from 1994-2010, are seeking their first lacrosse title since 2012.

Carl Klepper led the Scots with three goals, two assists, while Nick Yi and Anthony Molle each scored twice. Michael Lizzio tallied one goal and three assists.

St. Andrew’s has been red hot in the second half of the season after falling to Maryland powerhouse Boys Latin on Mar 13. The Scots have won 12 consecutive games — highlighted by wins over Oxbridge Academy and two-time defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

The Scots, who beat Belen, 17-8, on Apr. 12, played air-tight defense on Friday. The team’s defensive unit of Lugo, Alpert, Louie Adams, John Staten and Corey Frydman were dominant against a strong Wolverine attack.

The Scots jumped out to a 3-0 first quarter lead and pushed that advantage to, 5-0, at halftime. Propelled by their stingy defense, the Scots added three more in third to push their lead to, 8-0.

The Scots now turn their attention to Jupiter, who beat Cardinal Mooney, 9-5, in the regional finals. The Warriors (19-2) are making their first state tournament appearance since 2012. St. Andrew’s beat Jupiter, 12-9, in that contest, en route to a state title.

The teams met up earlier this season with the Scots edging the Warriors, 9-8, in overtime.

In St. Andrew’s last state tournament appearance, the Scots fell, 14-5, to rival St. Thomas Aquinas. Alpert, a Towson commit, was one of the few players on the roster that year and he’s eager to get another shot at states.

“We lost really bad [in 2015],” Alpert said. “I’m not going to let that happen again.”