St. Anne’s tops Collegiate in semifinals

By Liz Keller

Published: May 17, 2008

Often in important games, it is the senior leaders who will step up and make the big plays.
And for St. Anne’s-Belfield in its VISAA Division I semifinal game against Collegiate on Friday, that player was Jack Thomasson.
Using a six-goal performance from Thomasson and a staunch defense, the Saints prevailed 10-7 to advance to the state championship game today against top-ranked Norfolk Academy at 5 p.m.
“The first time we played [Collegiate] we fell short,” Thomasson said, “and I wanted to get them again because I knew we had it in us to pull it out. I’ve been around this program for a long time. Today was my last day of school, and I couldn’t leave the game losing today. We just all left it out on the field, and we’re playing tomorrow. That’s what we’re here for.”
While it was Thomasson who sparked the offense, Austin Geisler, making his second straight start in the cage, helped keep the Collegiate attack in check. Geisler, who has filled in for senior goalkeeper Zach Starsia (pulmonary embolism) was once again impressive, recording 21 saves. In the team’s quarterfinal win over Flint Hill, the sophomore finished with 16 saves.
However, the Saints trailed 3-1 early after the Cougars got goals from Jacob Oliver, Ben Sauer and Clay Timmons.
Harry Snyder’s unassisted goal cut the lead to 3-2 by the end of the first quarter, and Owen Van Arsdale took a pass from Thomasson to tie the game with 10:12 left in the second quarter.
Collegiate regained the lead on a goal from Thomas Wood before STAB and Thomasson kicked it into high gear.
Thomasson scored back-to-back goals before halftime to give the Saints a lead they would never relinquish.
The senior was not done, as he tacked on four more goals — including two unassisted and another on a lob from Logan Pehanick downfield for the score. It was Thomasson’s fourth straight game with at least five goals.
“Jack Thomasson showed why he’s as good as anybody around,” said St. Anne’s coach Doug Tarring. “He continues to find ways to score goals. Every time we needed a big goal, Jack stepped in for us.”
Entering the fourth quarter with an 8-5 advantage, STAB was called for a
three-minute penalty for an equipment violation.
Collegiate made the Saints pay right away as Sauer notched a goal to trim the lead to 8-6.
But Geisler made several big plays in the cage, three shots during that span to help STAB hold off the Cougars’ potent attack.
“I think the group that probably played the best was our man down. We had that three-minute man down to start the quarter, and that was a situation where they got one but they could have gotten more,” Tarring said. “I look at goalies like I do jump shooters [in basketball] — you want your goalie in a rhythm and [Geisler] seems to be in a rhythm right now. He’s playing extremely well with confidence, and his team has a lot of confidence in him.”
The Saints’ win avenged an earlier loss to the Cougars, and STAB hopes to have similar success against Norfolk Academy, a team it lost to by one goal during the regular season.