LYNN — Through the first five games of the season, the St. Mary’s boys lacrosse team has been flat-out dominant.
The Spartans have fired on all cylinders, outscoring opponents 77-18 on their way to a 5-0 start.
A huge part of the Spartans’ early success has been an experienced offensive unit, starting with attackman Brendan Laundry. The senior captain is off to a fantastic start to 2019 with 18 goals and 11 assists on the young season.
“Brendan generates offense, that’s for certain,” Spartans coach Josh Field said. “He’s amazing in getting our offense going and helping us set up what we want to do every game. He was a 100-point scorer last year but he’s around 50-50 when it comes to goals and assists. He’s a solid worker and does everything. When it comes to skill he has the quickest feet I’ve ever seen as a coach.”
Laundry, a Swampscott native who transferred to St. Mary’s his junior year, credits his success to his fellow attackmen Nick Napolitano and Joe O’Keefe.
“I transferred last year from Swampscott,” Laundry said. “I knew Nick previously and it helped on the field. We feed off each other’s unselfishness and trade passes. We both create great opportunities for each other. Joe’s a young lefty and he really has done a lot of work to improve his game. That hard work is something that motivates me and my teammates. It has definitely showed on the field for Joe.”
The chemistry St. Mary’s attackmen have built over the past two seasons is paying dividends this spring.
“That group has been great playing together,” Field said. “They played together last year as well. When they play together for that amount of time you build a chemistry and they certainly have that.”
Along with helping anchor St. Mary’s offense, Laundry has stepped into a leadership role after being named one of the Spartans’ four co-captains this season. Laundry welcomes his leadership responsibilities with open arms.
“I love to see my teammates succeed so being a captain just lets me take that next step as a leader,” Laundry said. “I want to set the right examples for guys on and off the field to help us succeed. It’s just the kind of guy I am. I feed into that type of stuff.”
Field said Laundry has flourished as a leader.
“Brendan is just a great leader,” Field said. “We have four amazing captains and he’s a huge part of that for us. He’s carried that role on his shoulders and he’s done well. He’s a person that brings the team together. Everyone respects him. He obviously sets a good example on the field but he’s a great leader in the locker room as well.”
The Spartans’ early success is no shock to Laundry, but St. Mary’s has much higher expectations moving forward after qualifying for the state tournament the past two years. St. Mary’s knocked Catholic Central League rival Bishop Fenwick in the opening round of last year’s Division 3 North tournament before falling to Ipswich in the quarterfinal.
“Going into this season we had a motto of taking one game at a time,” Laundry said. “But obviously the tournament is something that we think about. We expect to be there when the time comes and we are looking to make a run. I think we will make a run. We have a great team all over the field. We have a great coach in coach Field, a great goalie in Kaden Quirk and great players all over the field.”
With a talented roster, the only thing standing between the Spartans and their goals is work ethic. Laundry plans on doing his part to help St. Mary’s reach its potential.
“The key for us is just going out there and playing hard every game,” Laundry said. “We have some guys who are new to the sport but they’re still athletic. We feed off of everyone’s hard work and commitment. It’s been great so far.”
Laundry and the Spartans travel to Arlington Catholic Wednesday (4).