Efstathios heats up for Pirates after slow start

Helps WW-P South boys’ lacrosse rebound for big win

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   Twice this season, the West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys’ lacrosse team has been burned by slow starts.
   The Pirates could take a few pointers from Mike Efstathios on how to come back from rough beginnings. The senior dragged himself onto the field for their first three games this season.
   ”I just wanted to help out my team,” Efstathios said. “It was really tough. I had the flu. The first two games, I had a 103 fever, and the third game, I had a 101 fever, and then I missed the fourth game. Then I was finally healthy.”
   He wasn’t able to contribute much, but he showed a determination and desire to help the team however he could. As a captain, he felt it was part of his responsibility.
   ”Early in the year, Mike was really, really sick,” said Pirates head coach Matt Foret. “He was practically throwing up on the field. Since then, he’s been on fire.”
   The Pirates needed his contributions after Connor Farrell was lost to injury before the season began. Efstathios stepped up quickly to replace him. He scored a career-high nine goals and had four assists in a 24-12 win over Voorhees a week and a half ago. He never expected that much production out of himself, but the Pirates needed it.
   ”With Connor being hurt, one of the concerns was where was the offense going to come from,” Foret said. “We knew (Dave) Twamley would bring his usual stuff. And Carlo (Ingato), we felt we could count on him.
   ”We were down early and came storming back against Voorhees,” he added. “We were down 7-3. He came back and had nine goals. His production is one of the reasons we’re playing better lacrosse this year. If Dave and Connor weren’t scoring last year, we had trouble. He gives us additional scoring. Alex Rohrbach and Jack Dennehy are two young guys who have helped us. Those three guys have picked up the slack for Farrell and given us something in transition. Mike is playing at such a higher level than last year.”
   Efstathios’s development at attack has the Pirates feeling confident going down the stretch. He credits his increased production to moving more on offense and being more aggressive.
   ”With Connor gone, somebody had to step up,” Efstathios said. “I was just trying to do what I could. Now that he’s back, he’s a great addition and should help us out.
   ”We should be a pretty tough team to stop. We have a lot of weapons with Twamley, Connor’s back, Carlo, and (Eric) Valero. We have a lot of weapons.”
   They just have to make sure they’re firing from the first faceoff. Farrell returned to the lineup with three goals in a 10-9 loss to Hillsborough on Wednesday. The Pirates trailed, 5-1, after the first quarter before rallying to make it close. They had done the same in a two-goal loss to Princeton in April after falling behind, 10-6, at halftime. WW-P South returned to its winning ways with an 18-3 win over 10-4 Northern Burlington on Saturday behind a career-high 10 points on six goals and four assists from Ingato.
   ”I thought we bounced back pretty well,” said Efstathios, who had three goals and two assists Saturday as the Pirates improved to 11-3. “Both games started out, and we were not focused at all. It took us a while to get organized.”
   The Pirates started quickly against Northern Burlington. They had a 7-1 lead after the first quarter.
   ”We have to get off to better starts in games,” Foret said. “The two losses that were a little disappointing, Princeton and Hillsborough, we got off to slow starts. We’re working hard on trying to shore up our defense. They’ve been good at times. Then there are a lot of little things. We have a couple tough games coming up. A lot comes down to a little play here or there.”
   The Pirates host Montgomery on Wednesday, then play at West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Saturday. They must also reschedule a game against Hun. All three of those teams are above .500.
   ”We have Montgomery and they’re ridiculously good,” Efstathios said. “Each game, we pretty much need to win them. We need to build momentum going into the playoffs. It would really help if we won out the games.”
   Added Foret: “We’re excited to play them. We’ll give them our best effort possible. They’ve been Group III state champs and in the Bianchi, I think they were undefeated last year and are undefeated this year. It’s a great opportunity to see if we can really compete and give a good effort. They play with a tremendous amount of confidence because had so much success in past two seasons.”
   The Pirates regained some of their swagger with the win over Northern Burlington. Efstathios is hoping they can continue to build momentum for a big finish. This year is likely his last, though he could compete for the James Madison University club team next year.
   ”This is it for me unfortunately,” Efstathios said. “I want to make the most out of everything. It’s going to stink being done.”
   It wasn’t such a great start to his season, but Mike Efstathios has helped put that behind him in his most productive season for the Pirate boys.