Roosevelt Men's Lacrosse Improves to 4-0

Kent vs. Revere, Tuesday, April 3rd

Pat Valerius scored 7 goals to lead the Riders past Revere 18-7. The team overcame a slow start in the first half by scoring 7 unanswered goals in the 3rd quarter. Jared Fischer, starting at goalie in only his third varsity game, saved 9 shots.

Other contributors were Troy Haren (4 goals, 2 assists), Bobby Danner (4 goals, 8 ground balls), Kyle Manning (1 goal, 2 assists), Tom Fisher (1 goal), Eli Kepner (9 ground balls).

Kent vs. North Canton Hoover, Thursday, April 5th

Roosevelt lacrosse has always been defined as a second-half team, and Thursday night was no different. Down 6-4 at the half, and 10-7 with less than 4 minutes to go in the game, the team was able to overcome the adversity. Senior midfielder Brady Weber scored the tying goal with 2:09 remaining in the contest. North Canton Hoover, who is one of Kent's biggest rivals, won the following face-off, but was unable to score due to a stellar performance by the defense, and goalie Jared Fischer, who had 9 saves on the night.

The defensive stand was led by senior captains James Breiding and Eli Kepner, who also had a goal in the contest. Defenders Michael Ruller, Drew Bowman and Gannon Lavins were also instrumental in stopping Hoover from scoring in the last two minutes of the game. They communicated well, and the slides came right when they needed to.

The first team to score in overtime wins, so winning the opening face-off is extremely important. Junior midfielder Bobby Danner came up huge when the team needed him most and was able to gain possession of the ball. Danner ran the ball down the field and quickly passed to Troy Haren, who ripped a 90 mph shot right over the goalies shoulder for his third goal of the game. Not only was it the biggest win of the season, but was a chance for the team to gain valuable experience in close games, which will help them tremendously down the road in the playoffs. 

Other important contributors were Pat Valerius (5 goals), and Kyle Manning (3 goals, 2 assists).

Kent, ranked 13th in the state of Ohio, faces off against Jackson on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Stanton Stadium.