As the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team looks to rebuild its attack, a seasoned defense has been the squad’s calling card.

In getting off to a promising 2-1 start, PHS has yielded just 5.3 goals a contest.

The skilled, versatile defensive unit, which features senior defensemen Jackson Andres, Colin Buckley, and Joe Hawes along with senior goalie Kenan Glasgold, has impacted things well beyond the crease area.

“Not only are they doing a good job of holding down the other teams, they are doing a good job of sparking transitions,” said PHS head coach Peter Stanton.

“All three of the senior defenders can get the offense started. Kenan is good on outlet passes, getting the ball up and down the field. They are the foundation of what we are trying to become.”

The Drexel-bound Andres, in particular, has emerged as a potent offensive weapon.

“If we like the matchup he has and we have cleared the ball, we will keep him on the offensive end,” noted Stanton, whose team topped Hightstown 9-7 last Wednesday to improve to 2-1.

In reflecting on the first week of the season, Stanton acknowledged that the PHS offense is a work in progress.

“We are still trying to figure out the best combinations,” said Stanton, who lost key scorers Kevin Halliday, Matt Corrado, and Matt Purdy to graduation from last year’s squad.

“We have a lot of kids who are going to get a chance. The guys have a lot of learning to do in terms of playing together as a team. We are seeing progress.”

Stanton saw progress in the win over Hightstown as a pair of sophomores, Luke Duarte and Eamonn McDonald, stepped up.

“It was nice to see a couple of other guys have nice games,” said Stanton.

“Luke Duarte scored his first varsity goal, he probably hasn’t been getting the playing time he should have been seeing. He had the first goal of the game; it was a clutch goal. They scored first; we got the next face-off and he got his first opportunity. He made a really nice shot that really got us started. We got on a nice roll after that, we got up 6-2 at halftime. McDonald got his first against South Brunswick (a 7-4 win on March 27) then got two in the Hightstown game. We are getting him started a little bit.”

Junior midfielder Rory Helstrom and sophomore attacker Johnny Lopez-Ona have started off well, displaying their experience at the offensive end.

“The first two games Rory was bothered by a groin injury and that limited him a little bit; he got untracked against Hightstown,” said Stanton. “Johnny had a good game against South Brunswick (4 goals, 2 assists). He is looking to distribute and get his teammates involved. He knows from playing with a veteran offense last year that it is best to have all six guys involved.”

In Stanton’s view, his team’s best lacrosse is ahead of it. “We are happy with this young group, there are a lot of guys getting their first chance to play on varsity,” said Stanton.

“We are pleased to have two wins and the one loss was a very competitive game against a good team. We need to get a little better at developing our offensive identity. We need to see who is going to be the guy that is going to goal and make plays. Our midfield is pretty deep, we are giving a lot of kids the chance to play and we are sorting out their roles.”