With Aidan Diaz-Matos dominating on faceoffs and his Brunswick School teammates frequently tallying in transition, the Bruins were indeed, a tough team to handle in their April 16 matchup against The Taft School.

The Bruins bolted out to a quick start, seizing a four-goal advantage, then after the Rhinos closed to within a goal, the hosts captured the momentum and never let it go thereafter.

The result was another impressive home win for Brunswick’s varsity lacrosse team, which received a game-high six goals from junior attack Lucas Garcia and a four-goal effort from junior midfielder Rick Giordano in a decisive 13-6 win over Taft School.

Ranked No. 9 in the USA Lacrosse High School Boys National Top 25 Rankings, Brunswick moved its record to 5-2 with the triumph and is visiting Hotchkiss School today (April 18) at 6 p.m.

“The team played absolutely amazing,” said Diaz-Matos, who won the majority of the faceoffs he took, giving the Bruins multiple scoring chances. “The defense, offense, ground balls – everything was absolutely amazing.”

Senior attack/midfielder Owen Iles recorded one goal and one two assist, while senior attackman Emmett Meagher added one goal and one assist for the Bruins, who held a 4-0 lead on the Rhinos after the first quarter and were ahead, 6-4, at halftime.

Freshman midfielder Sawyer Bligh scored one goal, midfielder Parker Baras assisted on two goals and freshman attack Austin Tuttle and sophomore midfielder Luke Perriello each assisted on a goal for ‘Wick, which sports a 5-0 record at the friendly confines of Cosby Field, their home field.

Coached by David Bruce, the Bruins used their matchup versus Taft to rebound from a tough 10-8 loss to Malverne Prep from Pennsylvania on April 12. Malverne Preparatory School is also ranked in the top-10 of the USA Lacrosse High School Boys Top 25 Rankings.

“We came back from playing against a zone defense versus Malverne and it kind of made us hungry to see the defense again,” Garcia said of the Bruins’ offensive execution against Taft. “We were creating a lot of space, we were patient, we took the whole clock.”

Said Giordano: “The offense moved really well. We were nice and spread and setting picks for each other, sweeping, they caught on the sweeps and then we moved it into X. The defense was confused and they couldn’t do much.”

Garcia tallied twice in the first quarter, while Meagher and Giordano had one goal apiece. Trailing 6-2, Taft scored two straight goals to end the second quarter, then received a goal from senior Charlie Lowe, cutting ‘Wick’s advantage to 6-5 52 seconds into the third quarter.

It was all Bruins from there. Baras scooped up a ground ball, which led to a fastbreak goal from Giordano at the 10:14 mark of the third period, putting the home team ahead, 7-5. Iles then converted a perimeter shot from the left side after catching a pass from Perriello, with 8:58 to go in the third frame, extending the Bruins’ edge.

“Our middies were flying up and down the field creating fastbreak opportunities for us,” Garcia noted. “We were able to notch in four goals in maybe two or three minutes, which was pivotal for us.”

It was Garcia that went on the scoring spree that he mentioned. His goal in transition with 6:41 left in the third quarter made it 9-5 in favor of the Bruins. Nine seconds later after Diaz-Matos won the ensuing faceoff, Garcia struck again in transition for Brunswick’s 10th goal of the game.

At the 5:44 mark of the third quarter, Garcia scored again, then 1:03 later capped his six-goal outburst by tallying off a dodge, concluding ‘Wick’s seven-goal quarter.

“We had a bunch of guys step up, we have a few injuries,” Garcia said. “I think the big thing for us was transition. I think 60 percent of our goals were from transition, so that’s just step down shots which are easy, so credit to our middies for flying up and down the field.”

“Aidan Diaz-Matos, shout out to him, he had a 90 percent faceoff win today, so all credit goes to him, we were able to get a lot of offensive possessions,” Garcia continued.

As he has all season, Diaz-Matos rose to the occasion on faceoffs.

“I give so much credit to my wings on faceoffs,” Diaz-Matos said. “If I didn’t win it cleanly, they were always there to receive it. It’s a great team win. It’s definitely a big one for me. I know this faceoff guy (from Taft) and it’s always a good rivalry between me and him. I’m super happy, we fell short to Malvern Prep, but this is a great bounce back win and we have Hotchkiss on Friday, which we will be ready for.”

Junior goalie Will Connell had another stellar game for the Bruins. Connell made strong saves in each period for the victors, which received effective play from their defenders.

Senior captain Tucker Spiess, junior captain John Buttafuoco and senior captain Patrick Hiebert were among a big group of defenders who sparked the Bruins defensively throughout this NEPSAC victory.

“We just kept going and kept our foot on the gas and kept it going,” Giordano said of the Bruins’ overall effort. “That teamwork and that brotherhood kept us going.”