After getting beat up in their first meeting earlier in the season, the CSN boys lacrosse team was hoping for a better, and much different outcome against Benjamin on a far bigger stage.

Safe to say, the Buccaneers had other ideas.

Benjamin (23-1) used a 7-1 scoring stretch in the second half to close the door on CSN, winning 10-5 at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex on Thursday.

“I was proud of them,” Benjamin coach Peter Cordrey said. “We had the injury, and we played sloppy in the first half. That’s not taking anything away from them. They’re a very good team. They’re very strong at faceoff and goalie. That’s so much of the game. If you can cover the center of the field, you’re fine. 

Sloppy play was evident early on both sides. The Buccaneers were unable to string together passes after taking a 2-0 lead, along with CSN getting careless and not accounting for opposing defenders closing in aggressively.

Seahawks goalkeeper Michael Slusar was on early despite the inconsistencies around him, denying multiple shot attempts down low from the Buccaneers. The junior goalie finished with 12 saves on 22 shots on goal, while Benjamin fired off 40 shots in total. On the other side, CSN managed 14 shots on goal, with 27 total for the match.

“Michael is a phenomenal player,” CSN coach Keith Lee said. “I don’t just wanna say that Michael is the only reason we were in it because there’s 10 guys on the field, but we can trust Michael to make saves when it counts. We’re fortunate we get him back again next year. And he’s going to continue to get better.”

Benjamin had eight first half turnovers, which contributed to a 4-3 CSN lead at halftime. In the second quarter, the Seahawks (16-6) went on a very quick 3-0 run to take the lead, with Cal Wyatt and Isaac Lyon scoring within six seconds of each other at the 10:57 and 10:51 marks. With 8:41 to play in the second, Jack Jolly gave CSN its first lead of the game, before Jayden Vega responded for Benjamin at the 5:09 mark.

Cole Bryant would sneak behind the Benjamin defense, having a one-on-one with goalkeeper Tatum Little to give the Seahawks the lead once more before the Buccaneer onslaught took place in the second half.

CSN’s scoring opportunities would be limited in the second half, as Benjamin shut down the Seahawks’ transition offense that exploited their defense in the first half. The lanes got thinner and the physicality ramped up, making things tough on the offensive end.

“They’re a phenomenal team,” Lee said. “They’ve got a great goalie, a great faceoff guy, defensively, they’re big and strong. Our goal was not to win a 16-15 game. We needed to win an 8-7 game. We were on pace for it going into halftime. We let the third quarter get away from us a bit and we started chasing. That wasn’t the game plan we wanted.”

Campbell Hogan would level at the 10:15 mark in the third, before Jack Kelleher would score at the 7:03 mark to go up 5-3. Hutch Gumbiner streaked down the middle of the field and beat Slusar just before time expired, giving the Buccaneers a three-goal cushion entering the fourth.

From there, Hogan would add another, while Matt Null, Alex Ponchock, and Jake Ivanevic would score in the midst of a Wyatt goal to put the finishing touches on a solid performance.

“They did a tremendous job,” Cordrey said. “Our goalie did a great job. We thought their student section would be here in greater numbers, yelling at us. We were practicing to be better communicators. Maybe that just kicked in in the second half.”

CSN is set to lose eight seniors, including Wyatt, Sammy Taylor, Noah Cardoza, Cole Bryant, Charlie Youngs, Turner Tarrasch, Justin Willems, Emrhe Pray, Michael Cartwright, and Miles Smith.

“We’re excited to have the rest of our crew that’s coming back,” Lee said. “We return a lot of kids. Offensively, we’re going to be dangerous next year. Defensively, we’ve got guys behind those seniors that graduated this year that we’re excited about, and they’re just waiting on an opportunity.”

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Benjamin uses second half rally to beat CSN in Class 1A state semifinals