Alex Peterman| Special to The Post
BOCA RATON – A deficit turned into a 19-8 demolition job for St. Andrew’s on Saturday night as the two-time reigning-champ Scots edged ever closer to the coveted three-peat.
The top-seed Scots went down 5-1 in the first quarter, but visiting Pine Crest was shut down the rest of the way, failing to score against St. Andrew’s merciless defense for 28 straight minutes.
The Scots (17-3) split the spotlight in the comeback win, getting big scoring performances from the likes of Nick Testa, Eric Stiefel, and Connor Hofbauer on a night where full-time scorer Jack Schulte turned into an exceptional provider with six assists.
Manning the net in his first full season as a starter, team captain Ryan Kaplan led the lockdown defensive effort, stymying the Panthers (12-6) completely in the second and third quarters.
For the premier team in the state of Florida, the regional champion title is a checkpoint, not an end-goal. Up next, the squad goes for three-in-a-row.
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Here are three takeaways from the Scots’ regional final victory on Saturday.
1. Scots turn on the jets, bury early deficit
Seeing the Scots fall into an early 5-1 hole during Saturday’s regional finals may have been a strange experience for fans used to seeing such a dominant squad.
If it was, the confusion didn’t last for very long.
St. Andrew’s got back-to-back scores late in the first quarter, and then added two more at the start of the second in rapid succession.
It was as if someone accidentally sat on the television remote, ramping the on-field action into fast-forward mode for the Scots, whose opponents suddenly looked far more exploitable.
“They have some amazing players on their team, and it’s all about possessing the ball when we’re playing Pine Crest,” Schulte said. “Just getting the ground balls, clearing, riding, that’s how we beat these guys. We have trust in our offense that we can score goals as long as the ball’s in our sticks.”
The ball was in their sticks for quite some time in the middle of the game, as the Scots controlled possession, dictating the pace – and the pace they selected was typically very fast.
“Once we got that first one in by Connor Hofbauer, it kind of got the kids riled up,” head coach Tony Seaman said. “He’s done that the last couple of games for us. The kids trust the process and no one panicked. We just kept rolling.”
The attack came from everywhere on the Scots’ side. Once the momentum shifted in the second quarter, Schulte fended off multiple defenders for an impressive solo effort on goal, tying the score.
From there, Hofbauer echoed that goal with his own solo effort, a goal that preceded Caleb Fox’s go-ahead score to give the Scots their first lead of the game.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Scots proved they didn’t even need everyone on the field when, down two men to penalties, Kaplan’s save and subsequent pass downfield set up Schulte and Jackson Parke for a goal that more or less appeared to open the flood gates.
“We’ve got four or five kids that, once they dodge from up top downhill, they’re unstoppable,” Seaman said. “Our attack, our guys just move so well off the ball. It’s not just one kid.”
2. Scots’ depth wearing down opponents
St. Andrew’s has a dominant roster, and it’s one that goes beyond just a select group of star starters.
Saturday’s performance was a glowing example of the squad’s collective talent, as the fluidity and precision remained steady throughout the team’s in-game rotations against Pine Crest.
“As the game went on, we got better, started putting guys on the floor,” said Zach Brent. “We’ve got 35 guys that can play, playing against a team that only has three. We can go all four quarters, 48 minutes, and really go as hard as we can for that time.”
On a wider scale, that depth was seen transitioning into this season as the team looked to replace several key starters, including their all-star goalkeeper from last season.
“Backing up a guy like Gunnar Schwarz, All-American, Navy commit, I had a lot of respect for him,” Ryan Kaplan said. “It was basically chasing a carrot on a stick when it came to getting in that cage. He was really talented.”
Now that Kaplan has finally gotten his chance, the Scots defense hasn’t missed a beat – and it’s a change that simply serves as a microcosm for the culture St. Andrew’s has created under Seaman and his assistants.
“One thing about us is that we’re deep,” Seaman said. “Most teams in the state only go about 12 or 13 kids deep, and we go about 25. That’s what helps us. We’ve got eight long-stick kids that can play, six attackmen, and nine middies that can get up and down the field. We wear team teams down – it’s like a heavyweight fight.”
3. “Keep the trophy, we want rings,” Scots say
The chant was brief, but the emotion was palpable as the team soaked in the big victory in front of their home crowd.
“It means everything, Schulte said. “The last two state championships are in the rearview mirror. We’re focused on this one, and I don’t think anyone wants it more than us.”
With the reputation comes the inevitable target – but it’s one Seaman says the team is ready for.
“I think these kids finally realized that we’ve got a giant bullseye,” Seaman said. “We saw that with our two in-state losses to St. [Edward’s] and St. Thomas. That’s the game of the year for everybody. I think a lot of teams will just settle for beating us and that’ll make their season.”
The team responded well in each of those instances, never losing two games in a row during the season, demonstrating, in addition to Saturday’s comeback, the perseverance of a seasoned, established program that knows how to overcome adversity in pursuit of a goal.
Saturday was a step in the right direction to accomplishing that goal – but the story remained unfinished.
Two more, they said again and again. Two more.
