'My ideal senior night:' Overtime goal keeps Covington Catholic lacrosse team unbeaten
Luke Stetter and his Covington Catholic lacrosse teammates had the perfect senior night.
Stetter’s long-distance goal in the first minute of sudden-death overtime lifted the Colonels to a 10-9 win over Walton-Verona Wednesday night at CovCath.
CovCath improved to a perfect 14-0 for the season. The Colonels are ranked sixth in the latest statewide poll by Kentucky Lacrosse.
“It’s kind of like my ideal senior night that I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid,” Stetter said. “Winning in overtime, celebrating with all my boys and all the Colonels in the stands. Thanks for all the family that supported all of us, and all the fans.”
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Stetter’s goal capped a wild finish in which CovCath squandered a four-goal lead, falling behind 9-8 in the final minutes before senior Oliver Orwig tied it with 1:44 to go.
CovCath had defeated Walton 14-3 on April 9, but the Bearcats didn’t have their top player, leading scorer Carson Grizovic.
“They really came back,” Stetter said. “We knew they were going to play better because they didn’t have their best player (last time). We knew what we had to do coming out of the half. We weren’t really capitalizing. So we had to get together as a team and do what we needed to do.”
CovCath has been an offensive powerhouse during the season. The Colonels average 13.6 goals per game, with a high of 23 against Cincinnati La Salle. The Colonels have only failed to score in double digits once, and their lowest output is eight goals.
Stetter, who has signed to play the sport for Transylvania University, leads the way as a midfielder with 40 goals and 23 assists.
“Luke is the ultimate captain,” said CovCath head coach Pat Ciuccio. “He knows how to get the guys going. He knows how to be a leader on this team, whether it’s shooting or passing. He’s the all-around player. But more than that, he’s a leader on this team.”
Stetter is far from the only weapon in CovCath’s arsenal.
Junior Jack Harris has 40 goals and 15 assists. Orwig has 34 goals. Junior Mason Sweeney has 41 goals and 21 assists. They are also team leaders in ground ball controls on loose balls. Goaltender Liam Wainscott helps the Colonels allow fewer than seven goals per contest.
“Any guy on the field can score at any moment,” Ciuccio said. “We take pride in that. We can get the ball to anybody on the field and trust them.”
Ciuccio said the team came back from four goals down against Ryle to win by one.
Said Stetter: “Ball movement on offense. We have to play as a team and do our thing on offense and we’ll be perfectly fine.”
CovCath hosts the Bluegrass Bulldogs, a local club with several Northern Kentucky schools represented Monday. CovCath plays Cincinnati Country Day and two Lexington teams next week to end the regular season and get the Colonels ready for the postseason.
The Colonels hope to make a long run in the postseason tournament, which begins in mid-May. They hope to make history as no local team has won a state championship, and the top local teams usually have trouble beating the elite squads from Lexington and Louisville.
Stetter, who has been playing since fourth grade and has been part of the CovCath program since eighth grade, is ready.
“I’ve been playing here since freshman year and it’s been exciting since,” he said. “Playing with my friends and the brotherhood here.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Covington Catholic enjoying undefeated season in lacrosse
