O’Toole Named The White Plains Examiner’s Stepinac Spring Athlete of the Season
By Peter Gerken
During the spring season the Stepinac Crusaders Lacrosse team made some major strides in improving the overall program. The Crusaders didn’t win a game in 2011 (0-19) and this spring they were able to attain 10 wins including two in the playoffs.
One of the major reasons the team succeeded in the way they did was the play of junior attack/midfielder Spencer O’Toole. This season he scored 47 goals and had 27 assists. He has been selected as The White Plains Examiner Stepinac Spring Athlete of the season.
O’Toole was selected as an All-League player in 2012 and achieved something no other Stepinac Lacrosse player ever has in the history of the school. He was awarded the NYCHSAA “A” Attackman of the Year.
First-year Crusaders varsity coach James Goldmann has been very pleased by the way O’Toole has played for the Crusaders this spring.
“Spencer keeps working hard in practice. His whole attitude from last year to this year has changed. Every day he is trying to get better and we’re seeing the benefits of that,” said Goldmann about O’Toole’s improved play in 2012.
He also believes that O’Toole was a leader for the Crusaders this spring.
I” think maturity played a big role in his success this year,” said Goldmann. “We graduated the two attackmen he played with as a sophomore in 2011, so it was his show to quarterback this year. We knew we had to take some big steps to turn this program around, and he rose to that challenge.”
Goldmann believes that O’Toole is very focused when he’s on the field.
“I would say the strongest part of his game is his poise with the ball,” said Goldmann. “He also has the ability to dodge well from behind the cage and draw the double team. That’s why you see his assist total so high. He’s not just a finisher, but a feeder as well.”
When it comes to O’Toole’s potential as a lacrosse player Goldman believes that there is still room for some improvement in his game.
“Spencer has so much potential, and I think he is just starting to realize how good he can be if he puts in the work,” said Goldmann. “We pulled him up last year as a sophomore, and obviously it wasn’t a perfect situation. This year he understands the expectations that have been asked of him. He’s doing a great job of working to get better everyday, and I think we’ve just scratched the surface of how good he can actually be.
There were so many games where O’Toole played a major role it is impossible to single out one or two performances that would be considered his best game of the season. He had five goals and one assist against the Pearl River Pirates in early April. Nearly three weeks later O’Toole had a four goal and three assist effort again Tottenville.
In early may five of his shots found the back of cage and he added two assists against St. Joseph-by-sea and two weeks later he had four goals and one assist versus Cardinal Spellman.
