Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

KINGSTON — By the time the ball made its way to freshman attack Evan Kostack, most of the Marple Newtown goal-producing work was already done.

Kostack, standing alone at the left post, merely had to make a clean catch and get off a quick shot.

When Kostack repeatedly handled those tasks with peak efficiency, there was nothing the Wyoming Seminary defense could do as he scored seven times in a 16-9 win by the visiting Tigers in an opening-round PIAA Class 2A boys lacrosse state tournament game.

“They were just good throws and perfect opportunities,” Kostack said. “I saw a wide-open net and shot.”

In rapid response to Wyoming Seminary’s only lead of the game, Marple Newtown scored six straight goals in 5:18 of the second quarter to arrive at halftime with a 9-4 lead.

Kostack had four of those goals, all from the same spot, although the passes did originate from different angles and from four different teammates.

“They move the ball well,” Blue Knights coach Terry Herron said. “When they’re moving the ball on offense, sometimes the guy at the far pipe gets lost by the defenders.

“The ball’s moving so well that it’s almost like a back-door thing in basketball. They get the ball moving and the defense gets tired, they start ball-watching at it happens to the best of us.”

Marple-Newtown added a seventh straight goal 12 seconds into the second half and Wyoming Seminary never got closer than five goals again.

Jace Kostack, Evan’s brother, added four goals and an assist while Joey Yukenavitch had three goals and three assists for the Tigers.

The Blue Knights got four goals and two assists from Jack Herron. Jack Leahy added two goals and two assists, Xavier Beaulac had a goal and two assists and Thomas Iskra had a goal and an assist.

Marple Newtown scored on two of the game’s first three shots for a 2-0 lead 3:01 in.

Wyoming Seminary used quick strikes to recover for a 2-2 tie before the midpoint of the first quarter an a 4-3 lead early in the second.

One of the toughest of Quinn Kelly’s 10 saves kept the Tigers from making it 3-0. Wyoming Seminary raced up the field to score eight seconds later on Herron’s first goal.

The Blue Knights picked up their first man advantage six seconds later. They needed just 10 seconds to turn that into a shot and 20 to make it into the tying goal.

When Marple Newtown goalie Marco Delicandro could not hold on to a save, Beaulac was there to pounce on the rebound for a 3-3 tie 1:34 into the second quarter.

Jack Leahy received a Beaulac pass and ripped a hard shot past Delicandro from straightaway to give Wyoming Seminary its 4-3 lead.

It did not last long as Evan Kostack led the six-goal flurry before halftime.

“That’s sort of a back-breaker when that happens,” coach Herron said. “But the kids played hard and they never give up.”

The loss ends the season for Wyoming Seminary, which repeated its Wyoming Valley Conference and District 2 Class 2A titles.

“The seniors built this culture here,” Herron said. “They have two district championships and three district championship games.”