A common saying in sports is defense wins games. The boys’ varsity lacrosse team is learning the truth in that adage as they depend upon the strength their veteran defensemen provides. With three seniors that have played three years together at the varsity level: Adam Ericson, Joe Malvezzi and Alex Bongiorni and talented underclassmen waiting in the wings: Jared Pabis, Mike Cimmino, Alex Templeton, and Mike Kissel, defense has proved to be a valuable and integral part of the team’s success this season.

“No matter how good your offense is, if you have a poor defense you can’t win,” said junior goalkeeper Jeff Hannnon. “We’re fortunate to have smart players and that’s very significant...in our success. They make it easy to do my job as I don’t have to worry about them being beat.”

Teammate and senior captain Brendon Keinath shared his sentiment, “Defense is what really wins games. Everyone can score but holding strong teams defensively is what counts.”

After many games and many practices with each other, members of defense have create a very cohesive unit. “We’ve been playing together for a while so we know how to play with each other. We know each other’s capabilities, strengths and weakness so we can back each other up,”said senior Joe Malvezzi. The experience and togetherness that comes with many seasons of playing together has leant itself to the success of the team this spring.

“The veteran defensemen are a stabilizing factor. They play solid positionally. They cause turn overs... top to bottom they play very, very well,” said Coach Mooney. “We’re in good shape defensively -in years past there has been a shortage of defensemen but this year there is a surplus which is great.”

Starting defensemen Alex Bongiorni, Joe Malvezzi and Adam Ericson contribute more than talent to the team; there’s leadership, which can either be attributed from their years on the varsity level or simply senior leadership. “I think that we do contribute leadership- wise to the team but that’s because this year as offense is young. We needed to do that. We support them and helped them grow because they knew that they could count on us,” said Malvezzi.

In comparison to other team’s in Western Mass as well, the team’s defense measures up. “Our defense may be a little less flashy, less penalty-prone than other teams but we get the job done,” said Coach Mooney. “Our goal tending is very good, very solid as well. Jeff [Hannon] and Chris [Keinath] are doing a good job as they support each other and push each other... having two quality keepers is definitely a plus.”

Keinath also acknowledged that goalies Hannon and Chris Keinath are the backbone of the team: “When they play well, we play well. How defense plays drives offense to do well as we feed off of them.”

Experience and skill come together on the boys’ varsity team to create a strong force. “Defense holds the team together,” said Hannon. “You can count on a solid performance from them.”