Bruins Laxmen Take St. Sebastian’s by Storm, 12–1

St. Sebastian’s, from Needham, Mass., scored the game’s first goal on Saturday at rain-soaked Cosby Field, but Brunswick dominated thereafter, storming to a nine-goal halftime lead during a heavy rainfall on the way to a decisive 12–1 victory.

The weather couldn’t have been much worse for Brunswick’s season-opening lacrosse game against St. Sebastian’s School – but the Bruins couldn’t have played much better.

"It was a great season-opener," said coach David Bruce, who has been at the helm since 2007. "It’s nice to get a win against a very good team on a nasty day."

Senior Syracuse University-bound midfielder/attack Payton Anderson put the pressure on St. Sebastian's with shots on goal early in the opening quarter. Sophomore attackman Lucas Garcia tied the score at 1–1 for the Bruins, converting a shot from the right side from approximately 12 yards out with 1:06 remaining in the quarter.

The hosts took the lead for good when junior Sean Ryan caught a pass that was thrown from behind the net from senior Casey Quinson and quickly snapped a shot past St. Sebastian's goalie, putting ’Wick on top 2–1 with 6:58 left in the second quarter. From there, goals came rapidly for the Bruins, who scored three times during a 58-second span.

Sophomore Rick Giordano tallied at the 6:38 mark of the second quarter. Then, Quinson scored on a strong run from behind the net, making it 4–1 with 6:08 to go in the second stanza.

Indeed, once the second quarter began, the Bruins' offense gelled despite the inclement weather.

"I thought their goalie played fantastic in the first quarter. We couldn’t figure out how to get it by him," noted Bruce, who begins the season with a career coaching record of 215–61. "Once we started sticking some shots, our offense felt more comfortable."

The scoring surge continued for Brunswick during the second quarter. Creating a good shooting angle, Quinson dodged from behind the net and tallied, giving the home team a 5–1 advantage with 3:46 remaining in the second quarter.

Hausmann scored off a laser from the right side from 10 yards out at the 1:23 mark of the second period, putting ’Wick ahead 6–1. Then, senior attackman Max Warden scored off a close-range shot with 54.2 seconds still left in the second period, upping the Bruins' advantage to 7–1.

Captaining the squad this spring are seniors Hudson Hausmann, Luke Hublitz, Casey Quinson, and Tucker Williams.

"It’s a true honor: The guys select the captains, so I’m grateful that they thought I was the right guy for the job," said Williams, the Bruins' starting goalie, who produced a sensational performance in Saturday's season-opener.

"Being a captain feels good. It’s a very special privilege and honor to lead these guys," said Quinson, who will continue his lacrosse career at Colgate University. "Everyone out here is a leader in his own way."

The Bruins posted an overall record of 13–4 in 2023 and were the co-champions of Western New England Division I, which they also won in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2022.

"We have a chip on our shoulder this year," Hublitz said. "We have as strong a schedule as ever. Even our next few games are really tough. We’ve just got to know that we can’t overlook any game. We have to take every game one-by-one and not look over any team."

Up next for the Bruins is a home game against Radnor High School on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

"Our biggest strength is our team as a whole," Hausmann noted. "Whoever we play, we feel that we are going to be able to work together and better as a unit.”