Hermits Hold Off the Seton Hall Prep in a Top-5 Lacrosse Clash

Top-ranked teams St. Augustine and Seton Hall Prep delivered exactly what a top-5 showdown is supposed to look like. Fast, physical, and decided in the final minutes. When it was over, the Hermits walked away with a 10–8 win and snapped a streak of three straight playoff losses to the Pirates. 

St. Augustine came out of the gate fast. Sebastian Varallo, the St. John's commit who has been one of the most dangerous players in the state all season, weaved through traffic and found the back of the net for his 21st goal of the year. Less than a minute later, Ryan Diamond made a run on cage and beat the goalie to make it 2–0 Hermits. It felt like it might get out of hand early.

Seton Hall Prep had other ideas. Jack Merklinger took over in the first quarter and scored back-to-back goals to tie the game at two heading into the second. Just like that, the momentum had completely flipped.

The second quarter was pure chaos in the best possible way. St. Augustine scored two goals to kick things off, but the Pirates wouldn't go away. Quinlan Oakes and then Brady Paltan both scored to make it 4–4 at halftime. Two teams, completely even, with everything still to play for.

The third quarter is where St. Augustine took control and they did it quickly. Chris Marino dominated the faceoff all afternoon, winning 11 of 19 draws, and the Hermits used that possession advantage to go on a 4–0 run that effectively changed the game. Varallo found Wodazak for his second goal of the day. Mason Raucci followed. Then Raucci set up Varallo for another. Just three minutes of game time and St. Augustine had turned a tie game into a 7–4 lead. Raucci capped the quarter with his second goal to push it to 8–4 after three — and just like that, it looked like the Hermits were pulling away.

Seton Hall Prep refused to fold. Colin McGarrigle opened the fourth to push the lead to five, but the Pirates went on a run that made the final minutes genuinely tense. Cooper Christian found room and converted to pull it to 9–7 with under six minutes left. The crowd had to be loud. This thing was alive again.

But St. Augustine wouldn't let it slip. Raucci  scoredone more time to complete his hat trick to push the lead back to three and ultimately seal the win. Kyle Helphenstine was outstanding in goal all afternoon for the Hermits, turning aside 10 shots and coming up with the saves that mattered most when Seton Hall was threatening to make it a one-possession game.

This one will stick with both programs. For St. Augustine, it's a signature win while snapping a three-game playoff losing streak to a rival. The postseason is coming fast for both of these teams. Tuesday was a preview of what high school lacrosse in New Jersey looks like at its absolute best.