San Diego UT: “Torrey Pines overcomes ‘slopfest’ on offense, outlasts Cathedral Catholic for Open Division lacrosse title“
BY RICK HOFF: MAY 20, 2023 9:26 PM PT ARTICLE LINK
Falcons win fifth straight CIF title, grind out a 9-7 victory over Cathedral Catholic in the boys CIF Open Division final at Del Norte High School
Trailing by a goal at halftime, the Torrey Pines High School boys lacrosse team found itself in unfamiliar territory.
But as champions will do, the Falcons persevered Saturday with a strong defensive performance and grinded out a 9-7 victory over Cathedral Catholic in the boys CIF Open Division final at Del Norte High School, resulting in the fifth straight CIF banner for Torrey Pines.
“We’re not used to being in a close game,” said Falcons coach Jono Zissi, in his 13th season at the helm for Torrey Pines. “It was a slopfest on offense, so we needed to play great defense, and we also have an exceptional goalie.”
Junior keeper Andrew Cook was a force in goal with 19 saves and was a major reason the Dons scored only two second-half goals.
“I was dialed in,” Cook said after helping Torrey Pines secure the 10th section crown in program history. “We’ve been doing all the extra little things, working hard late nights. The culture of this team is something special.”
The Falcons finished the season with a 17-4 record, following up an Avocado League championship by rolling past No. 7 seed Poway, 18-3, in the Open Division quarterfinals before overcoming a late deficit in the semifinals to eliminate No. 3 seed La Costa Canyon, 10-9.
Torrey Pines’ leading scorer on the season, senior midfielder Jacob Mendez, netted three consecutive goals in the second half, including the only two scores of the third quarter after No. 4 seed Cathedral Catholic took a 5-4 lead at halftime.
“I owe it all to Coach Z,” said Mendez, who finished with four goals. “I wasn’t the strongest player as a freshman, but we had a lot of late nights on the field, and this is the third CIF championship for the seniors.”
Cathedral Catholic, the No. 4 seed, finished 15-6 under sixth-year coach Dave McCarthy after winning the Western League championship. The Dons came into the match riding a seven-game win streak since a 15-8 loss to Torrey Pines a month ago.
“We were facing a juggernaut tonight,” McCarthy said. “They have a dominant program, and their goalie played outstanding.”
Two goals by Mendez gave Torrey Pines a 6-5 edge after the third period, and Mendez scored again just 26 seconds into the fourth period. Senior midfielder Benjamin Trask scored from 15 yards out for an 8-5 lead before the Dons ended a nearly 19-minute scoreless run on an Ethan Chesney goal with 6:54 left in the fourth period.
Junior mid Matthew Mannarino scored on a runner from the left side with 3:20 left for a 9-6 Falcons lead. Jacob Pages scored for Cathedral Catholic with 2:21 left, but the Dons could not sneak any more shots past Cook the rest of the way.
“This was a character win for us,” said Zissi, whose team finished the season by winning 14 of its last 15 games following an early-season three-game losing streak.
Cathedral Catholic jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on goals scored 15 seconds apart by sophomore Matthias Beals in the first 2:05 of the match. The Dons’ lead did not last long, however, as Torrey Pines responded with three goals within a two-minute span. Mendez and James Duncan scored to tie the score, and Mannarino tallied with 6:18 left in the opening period to give the Falcons a 3-2 lead which held firm through the end of the quarter.
Cathedral Catholic sophomore Cole Kaminsky tied the score at 3-3 a little more than three minutes into the second period. After sophomore midfielder John Pryor scored for a 4-3 Torrey Pines lead, Kaminsky scored again just nine seconds later to knot the score again at 4-4.
Senior Jack Cipriani gave the Dons a 5-4 halftime lead when he found the back of the net with 1:35 left in the second quarter.
The Dons, who lost to Bishop’s in the Open semifinals last year, had their season ended by Torrey Pines in the Open playoffs three times prior, including in the quarterfinals in 2019 and 2018 and in the semis in 2016.
