Baldwin takes show on the road

The Baldwin boys’ lacrosse team has shaken off the disappointment of not having its new home turf field ready for this season to the start the year at 6-5.
Except for one home game staged at the middle school, the senior-laden squad has been forced to play all its games on the road with the field still under construction. 
“For our senior class, they’ve taken it in stride and focused on playing,” coach Tim Clancy said. “Give them a lot of credit for maturity.’’
The abundance of road games haven’t slowed down senior attacker Brady Mahler, who has notched 45 goals and 11 assists. His partner and best friend, senior midfielder Logan Kirchner, has logged 24 goals and 13 assists with the duo showing exquisite chemistry. 
Mahler admits the lack of home games has had an effect, though. “For some games, there’s a lack of energy that could be attributed to not having the home-field advantage with our fans,’’ Mahler said. “We haven’t had that energy in some games.’’

The big exception was against powerful Hicksville, which Baldwin upset, 11-9, after rallying from a 6-2 halftime deficit. The Bruins hadn’t beaten Hicksville since 2016. The contest originally was to be a Baldwin home match but got switched due to the delayed renovation. 
Clancy called it “the biggest win of my career. ‘’
“They’re a really good team,’’ Mahler said. “It was really exciting, especially coming back. It felt really good to beat them for the first time in a while.’’
Mahler’s on his way to another outstanding season with his four-goals-a-game average. He’s attending Villanova and hopes to be a walk-on. “I’ve been taking more shots and few more have gone in,’’ Mahler said. 
Mahler’s assists are up over last season and has played spot duty at midfield. “He’s been very flexible, Clancy said. “We’re running a few things different offensively and he’s been able to adapt.’’
Logan Kirschner, also a senior, has surpassed last season’s pace with his 37 points. “Logan goes back and forth and does faceoffs,’’ Clancy said. “He does a lot for us running up and down the field and running the offense.’’
His brother, Preston Kirschner. a junior, is putting up numbers, too, with 12 goals and 9 assists. The top defenseman has been a sophomore, Elijah Iles, who also has chipped in for faceoffs. “He’s had a tremendous year leading our defense,’’ Clancy said. 
Other standouts are RJ Espert, who switched from long pole last season to short-stick middle, senior long pole Borago Arlin, midfielder Angel Johnson and goaltender Othello Cook.
Espert has done a solid job in clearing out the ball and making life easier for Cook, who was new to lacrosse as a sophomore and now is in his third season as starting netminder. He’s stopping 50 percent of shots and is a team leader.
“He picked up lacrosse incredibly quickly,’’ Clancy said. 
The Bruins have bonded as the road warriors of 2024. “We stick together,’’ Mahler said. “Everyone has each other’s backs. We play as a team.’’