Boys lacrosse: Branson’s revamped lineup shines in win against Urban

By Shun Graves

IJ correspondent

By the time the Branson School’s Oliver Broek scored off a 360-degree spin late in the fourth quarter Wednesday, he had already set the tone for the Bulls’ comfortable lead over the Urban boys lacrosse team.

For the game’s top scorer, you couldn’t spin it otherwise.

“It was bit of a grudge match,” Broek said. “I’ve got some beef with some of the opposing players. I had to lock in today. And everything was just clicking.”

Broek tallied four goals. But an all-around effort by a revamped lineup sealed Branson’s 12-5 victory over Urban (2-4). The non-league matchup offered the Bulls (4-4, 1-2 MCAL) an opportunity to regroup after a mixed start to their MCAL season.

Attacker Jackson Hoeveler starting the scoring for Branson with a goal off a ground ball in the first quarter. Zach Olrich and Broek boosted the Bulls’ lead to 3-0 by the quarter’s end. That’s when Urban put its offense in high gear — and when Branson goalkeeper Ben Boas came up clutch.

“Ben was making some amazing saves and getting the ball back on offense,” Hoeveler said. “And with our new offense we’ve been working on a lot in practice, we’re moving the ball around, keeping it. And eventually defenses got tired, and we were putting the ball away.”

Urban notched three goals in the second quarter, with Carter Han making two of them. Han threatened to equalize with another zinger when the scoreboard stood at 4-3 but Boas made a graceful save near the frame.

“If he didn’t come up with those saves, then the game could have flipped,” Branson coach George Morris said. “We could have been on our heels.”

The Bulls pushed an offensive advantage after putting Hoeveler, who played midfielder until this week, on attack. And with Nick Pfendler on the field, the position changes fueled Branson’s advantage on ground balls, especially in the third quarter.

“We lost the game between the restraining boxes,” Urban coach Mike Moran said. “In transition, with the ground balls, we didn’t win enough 50-50 balls.”

With Urban’s defenses eroded by the fourth quarter, Broek sprung into form to cap off the scoring. Off an assist by Callahan Green, Broek made his classic spin and deposited the ball for his third goal of the game. His fourth capped the scoring at 12-5.

“He’s always in the middle, just asking for the ball,” Olrich said. “I’m glad that he was able to get it and just throw it in the net. He had his signature 360 no-scope.”

Branson’s recharged lineup, from goalie Boas to speedy midfielder Andrew Murr, could give the Bulls a boost for the second half of the MCAL season. Marin Catholic and Redwood lead the pack with 3-0 league records so far.

“Things just came together, and we just worked like a team,” Pfendler said. “We didn’t put too much of the burden on Zach.”

Up to now, Olrich had led the scoring for much of the season. The position changes this week helped to open up the offense, he said.

“There’s just multiple sides to the offense that we were able to work it around and then dodge from anywhere we want,” Olrich said. “I think that made it a lot easier for us.”