CREVE COEUR – Before they break team huddles, De Smet lacrosse players say the words, ‘Count on Me.’
On Wednesday, senior Will Harbaugh exemplified that phrase.
Normally a starting defenseman, Harbaugh donned the chest protector and goalie stick as the Spartans’ emergency goalie against Priory.
“I got a few bruises but I made it out alive,” Harbaugh said.
He did more than survive.
In his first varsity start in goal, Harbaugh made 14 saves including a stellar stop in overtime that led to freshman Max Aubuchon’s sudden-victory goal to propel De Smet to a thrilling 9-8 victory over Priory at De Smet Jesuit High.
Harbaugh, who served as the De Smet hockey team’s backup goalie during their streak of three consecutive state titles, learned he would be the starter Tuesday after freshman goalie Kieran Ameling came down with an illness. Harbaugh’s experience as a lacrosse goalie consisted of one junior varsity game against MICDS when he was a freshman.
“I have to admit, I was a little scared,” Harbaugh said. “We had a shortened practice (Tuesday), so I got in goal and took a couple shots. I felt like, if I needed to, I could just rely on my hockey senses.”
Those senses were tingling in overtime.
Early in the extra session, Priory junior Sam Jung unleashed a shot that sailed over the crossbar, and Harbaugh outraced the Ravens to the end line to earn possession for De Smet. Later, he denied a point-blank attempt from senior Drake Polcyn for his most impactful save of the night.
On the ensuing possession, Aubuchon accepted a pass near the side of the cage, made a slick move, and deposited the game-winner with 11.8 seconds remaining in the first overtime.
“I beat my guy with an inside roll and no one slid to me, so I went in and took a dunk,” Aubuchon said. “It felt great.”
De Smet (5-3) needed a series of alley-oops to beat Priory senior goalie Colin Pim, who effortlessly collected Spartans’ perimeter shots in the netting of his goalie stick.
Trailing 2-0 in the first quarter, De Smet senior Jack McManus executed a slick spin move and zinged a shot past Pim to break an 11 minute scoreless start. After the ice-breaking goal, McManus excelled as a facilitator, finding cutters who were ready to deliver one-timers before Pim could lock in on the shot.
“Coming in, we knew (Pim) was a really good goalie, and he stopped us right on crease a couple times. We knew we’d have to deceive him and hide our shots, and that helped quite a bit,” said McManus, who doled out four assists.
Priory led 5-3 at halftime due to a sizable advantage in faceoffs and ground balls. The lead could have been bigger if not for the heroics of Harbaugh, who denied seven shots, including three in rapid succession to end the first quarter and a pair of point-blank chances by seniors Jack Parent and Will Puschel midway through the second.
“In hockey, you can always see the puck, but lacrosse players hide the ball really well. It’s a lot more deceptive and the shots are a lot faster,” Harbaugh said. “Seeing the ball is what I tried to work on for the 24 hours I had to prepare, and I feel like I did that.”
In the third quarter, the game quickly began to unravel for the Ravens.
Aubuchen scored eight seconds into the second half on a brilliant passing play that involved four different players and served as a catalyst for the Spartans.
“That was the snowball and we kept it rolling,” Aubuchen said.
De Smet prevented Priory from crossing midfield with a smothering ride that caused turnovers and frustration, as the Ravens were sent to the penalty box six times in the third quarter alone.
“We were not executing our clear, we were standing around, and we were getting penalty after penalty,” Priory coach Tyler Orf said. “We talked about controlling our sticks and knowing where we are on the field, understanding the space, and we just weren’t doing it.”
De Smet sophomore Alex Kelly scored off a quick assist by McManus to tie the game at 5. Junior Matthew McLaughlin scored from 15 yards away – the only shot from distance that evaded Pim during the game – and senior Jack Killion deposited a one-timer off a McManus feed to give De Smet four consecutive goals and a 7-5 lead.
It the meantime, Harbaugh was enjoying a 20-minute shutout streak while looking more and more comfortable as the game progressed.
“Our defense played an excellent game. I have them to thank,” Harbaugh said.
Despite a forgettable third quarter, Priory roared back.
Parent bounced a goal over Harbaugh’s right shoulder during a delayed penalty, and Puschel scored on the ensuing man-advantage. Parent’s running shot against the grain brought Priory all the way back to retake the lead 8-7 with 2:38 to play.
“That showed a lot of guts,” Orf said. “I think they got down on themselves when (De Smet) had that four-goal swing and took the lead. That was frustrating, but the vibe in the fourth quarter was much better. These guys don’t quit.”
But the penalty bug bit Priory again due to an offsides violation with under two minutes remaining that gave McManus and the Spartans a golden opportunity to tie the game.
“It was definitely intense,” McManus said. “When we went down with three minutes left, you could feel the pressure. We have this saying, ‘Alpha.’ It means that it’s time to dodge hard to cage. In those moments, just trust your ability, trust your team, draw a slide and dump it or push it as fast as you can.”
McManus found Kelly at the doorstep 19 seconds into the 30-second penalty to send the game to overtime, where Aubuchon became the alpha who deposited the game-winner.
“We trust every player on the field to have the ball in their stick. It ended up in Max’s stick and he was the guy,” De Smet coach Tim Hessel said.
While several Spartans celebrated the game-winner with Aubuchon, a wild party was occurring in the De Smet goal crease to celebrate a signature, building block victory.
“We have a saying, ‘Count on me,’ and not to toot my horn, but I feel like that was a good example of it,” Harbaugh said.
Photo gallery at: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/2024-Boys-Lacrosse/Boys-Lacrosse-2025/Priory-at-De-Smet-4-10-24
