ATTLEBORO — A dominant offensive attack helped No. 8 Bishop Feehan cruise to a 20-6 victory over No. 25 Barnstable in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 boys lacrosse state tournament.
Chase Dreystadt and Dexter Izzo each had five goals in the winning effort. It was the program’s first home tournament victory and its first overall tournament win since 2021.
Head coach Tom Sheerin credited the team’s young core and growing chemistry as a key to the victory.
“We have a lot of young guys that really play well together,” Sheerin said. “They look for each other, they rely on each other and they trust each other. They move the ball really well, which is something we have been working on all season and something that these guys have picked up and gotten better as the season progressed.”
While the victory came in a lopsided fashion, it didn’t look like it would be right away. Barnstable had a fast start, controlling possession for the first few minutes before Ryan Woeller buried a goal to give the Red Hawks a 1-0 lead.
“We came out a little flat,” Sheerin said. “Kudos to them, they were tough. We made some mistakes that aren’t typical of what we usually do. We settled it back in, got our heads together and they started playing the way they are capable of playing.”
The Shamrocks were not going to trail for long, however, and Dreystadt’s first two goals quickly established a lead.
“We were electric always,” Dreystadt said. “We had to come back in the first quarter but then we came out firing and got it done.”
Blake Masso and Izzo would add tallies for the Shamrocks and Woeller added another to round out the scoring in the opening quarter. The team’s entered the second quarter with Bishop Feehan leading 4-2, but the middle periods featured dominant play from the Shamrocks.
Bishop Feehan outscored Barnstable 14-2 in the middle quarters, with seven different scorers contributing during this span.
“We have a bunch of guys that can put it in the back of the net,” Sheerin said. “Once they start clicking and looking for each other, they can score against pretty much everybody.”
As the offense shined, the defense and goalkeeper Keegan Masso consistently limited any damage Barnstable could do on offense.
“The defense was giving up the right shots that I was going to be able to save,” Keegan Masso said. “Everyone was just meshing today.”
Each team would add two more goals in the final quarter to round out the score. For the defensive effort, Masso credited the veteran presence and work ethic as key reasons why they dominated.
“We’ve been playing together for a while,” Keegan Masso said. “It’s that same defense as last year so we turned things up. Everyone was there and it’s been easy to play together.”
As the Shamrocks prepare for a second-round battle against Xaverian, Dreystadt knows they are prepared for any challenge.
“We’re just gritty,” Dreystadt said. “No team is stopping us, we are rolling right now. Once we get in a groove, that is it.”
