DODGE BALL: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Brendan Beatty looks to dodge a defender in a game earlier this season. Last week, senior midfielder and University of Vermont commit Beatty tallied four goals and two assists in a losing cause as PHS fell 13-8 to Notre Dame. The Tigers, who defeated Montgomery 13-5 last Saturday in improving to 5-4, host Hightstown on April 24, play at WW/P-North on April 26, and then host Hopewell Valley in April 29. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Brendan Beatty fired in a pair of goals as the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first five minutes of its clash at Notre Dame last week.

PHS senior midfielder Beatty and his teammates were hoping that history would repeat itself as the Tigers built an early 3-0 lead in its 2024 meeting with the Irish on the way to a 21-11 win.

“Obviously that is the goal, that is the mentality,” said Beatty of the team’s quick start in the April 15 contest.

But the Irish turned the tables on PHS this year, building a 6-5 halftime lead and pulling away to a 13-8 victory.

“We looked at stuff in film, they replicated it out here and we just didn’t pick up on it,” said Beatty, whose team ended up with four goals and two assists in the defeat. “We beat ourselves, that is pretty much it. We have to keep our energy high. We have to stay composed on the bench and stay composed on the field. They probably had five man-up goals and we just can’t get penalties like that.”

Coming into the night riding a four-game winning streak, PHS had been playing with a lot of energy.

“It was being tight as a team, we are a really tight team in the locker room,” said Beatty. “We all love each other, it is a smaller bunch than we have been used to. We are all buying into what coach [Chip] Casto and coach [Peter] Stanton are saying. They are great role models for us.”

In edging powerhouse Northern Highlands 7-4 on April 12, the Tigers displayed that buy-in.

“We gritted it out, we played our brand of lacrosse which is what we should have done out here,” said Beatty. “Every single game where we step into the field it is to play Princeton Tiger lacrosse and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Beatty has been striving to help PHS produce a strong brand of lacrosse.

“Braden Barlag, Matthew Thomson, and I are trying to work together to put the ball in the back of the net,” said Beatty. “Sometimes I have to be disciplined in my shots. I have to take better shots and have better shot selection.”

Having committed to attend the University of Vermont and play for its Division I lacrosse program, Beatty is working hard to hone his game.

“I am just trying to get bigger, faster, and stronger,” said Beatty. “I have been working on my accuracy with my shot and being a good leader with the younger guys.”

Beatty is primed to make a big impact at the college level. “I cannot wait for Vermont, I am going to have a blast up there,” said Beatty. “The coaches are going to help me a lot and being surrounded by the other great guys that are at that program and going against them every day is going to evolve my game.”

Coming into the Notre Dame contest, PHS head coach Casto believed his squad was primed for a big game.

“Today was the end of a four-game stretch, we had played very well in the last three,” said Casto. “The win over Northern Highlands was tremendous. We were prepared, we played well. We thought we were prepared tonight.”

Casto’s feeling was reinforced when the Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

“That is what we like to do,” said Casto. “We have scored first in every game we have played this year which we have never done so that is positive.”

But things went awry from there as the Tigers made some unforced errors and got called for a number of penalties.

“But we really started to make mistakes, our own mistakes,” said Casto. “Emotionally we lost ourselves. When you play a team like this, you know they move the ball and have lots of guys who can shoot. When you make mistakes, they are going to capitalize and they certainly did.”

In Casto’s view, PHS can take some valuable lessons from the defeat.

“We have to learn to manage the game better, especially when we start losing or some team goes on a little hot streak,” said Casto, whose team topped Montgomery 13-5 last Saturday in improving to 5-4. “I think they went on a four or five-goal run there. They played very well.”

Casto credited Beatty with providing more for the program than just very good play.

“The best part really is, beyond the goals, is his leadership and h is his ability to bring the team back together,” said Casto of Beatty, who tallied a team-high 40 points on 26 goals and 14 assists through the first eight games this season. “It will be interesting to see how he leads the team the next couple of days. He and Braden Barlag have been doing a great job.”

With PHS hosting Hightstown on April 24, playing at WW/P-North on April 26, and then hosting Hopewell Valley in April 29, Casto is confident that things will come together for his squad and that it will get another shot at Notre Dame.

“We are resilient, we will come back fighting,” said Casto. “It is early and we really hope to see them again late.”

Beatty, for his part, is hoping to end his high school career on a high note.

“I am just enjoying the next two months with my best friends and enjoying my time of high school lacrosse,” said Beatty. “And with doing that, I am trying to get better as I get to Vermont.”