Seeing teammate Abraham Quinn find his rhythm pushed Crystal Lake Central attacker Evan McMahon to create a spark for the Tigers during Tuesday night’s nonconference boys lacrosse match against Antioch.
McMahon scored a pair of fourth-quarter goals, with one assist from Quinn, as Crystal Lake Central sought to finish strong after beginning the quarter with a seven-goal deficit. While the Tigers outscored the Sequoits 3-0 for the quarter, Crystal Lake Central was unable to erase the large deficit, falling 9-5 in its first home match of the season.
“I saw Abe kind of enter a flow state toward the end of the second half and it really gave me the confidence to take shots, pass to my teammates and trust everyone else,” McMahon said. “We started to cut off the ball and move around instead of standing still. We need to start strong and keep the mentality we had at the end of the game.”
Quinn posted a team-high three goals for the Tigers (1-1), who beat Wauconda 7-4 in their season-opener March 19. An All-FVC honoree last season, Quinn showed what makes him one of the top scorers in the area, using his size and speed to surge through Antioch’s defense. The senior midfielder scored twice in the second half, putting balls into the net early in the third quarter and midway through the fourth.
“I had a lot of energy today,” Quinn said. “We really stepped it up and I can’t thank my teammates enough. We lost seven seniors from last year and we have a lot of new guys, so we’re trying to get them up to speed. I think we’ll play a lot better if we have more chemistry.”
Playing in its first game of the season, Antioch (1-0) took a 3-1 lead after the first quarter, where the two-man tandem of Lukas Barbosa and Chance Verden ignited the Sequoit offense. Barbosa finished an assist from Verden early in the quarter before returning the favor and passing to Verden, who converted to give Antioch a two-goal lead.
“It feels amazing,” Verden said. “I’m showing up to practice every day and working as hard as I can. To start off 1-0, it’s a huge confidence booster. It means a lot to me and it means a lot to the team as well.”
Verden was one of two Antioch players to score three goals Tuesday. Blake Tolbert netted three goals off the bench for the Sequoits, who led 5-1 after goals from Verden and Tolbert in the second quarter. The lead could’ve been higher, but a gritty effort from Crystal Lake Central’s Rylan Huber, who had eight first-half saves, kept it close.
The Tigers were unable to win consistent possessions against the Sequoits, who controlled the ball for most of the game and executed quick passes around the crease to extend their lead. Barbosa, who had three assists and two goals, set teammate Kyle Wickert up for a goal before adding one himself to give Antioch a 9-2 lead in the third.
“It’s a big step for our program and we’re going to have a confidence boost going into our next game on Thursday,” said Barbosa, whose team will face Carmel at home that evening. “I just kept my mind on the game, stayed focused, settled the ball and played fast. We’ve added some new plays that are very fast developing for our team.”
Noah Bryner collected eight saves to anchor the Antioch defense. Huber finished with 11 saves for the Tigers, who will welcome Vernon Hills in for a nonconference match at 5 p.m. Thursday. Crystal Lake Central, which went 10-8 last spring, is seeking its fifth straight winning season and its first under new coach Casimer Plonczynski.
“We had a lot of turnovers, but we just have to put the practice in and get better together,” Quinn said. “We’ll be alright.”