Q&A: Anthony DeVincent breaks South Western's lacrosse goal-scoring record
It's not hard to spot Anthony DeVincent on the lacrosse field. The junior sports a flashy set of Under Armour cleats, emblazoned with the Maryland-flag design. His game has some flash, too, evidenced by his league-leading 54 goals through May 1.
In a four-goal performance last week against Red Lion, DeVincent broke the school's single-season, goal-scoring record, previously held by Rich DeLea.
So, it must be the shoes, right?
DeVincent recently spoke with GameTimePA.com about a range of topics including his record-breaking goal, how his game has changed, his next challenge, and, of course, the shoes.
Q I'm a Maryland guy, so I've got to ask, why the Maryland flag cleats?
A I'm from Maryland and my dad knows I like having really flashy cleats that nobody else is going to have. So as soon as we saw them, we just had to buy them.
Q So how did the record-setting goal happen?
A It was a dodge and shot that I've done many times this season. I was being pressured pretty heavily on the bottom, right-hand side of the goal, and I used my speed to get around top side. Then I split the defense and had a wide-open shot within 10 yards of the goal. All I had to do was tuck it away in the bottom left corner of the goal.
Q Was there any kind of celebration afterward?
A (Laughing) I wouldn't say a celebration, but I was definitely running around the goal laughing and yelling to my friends because all the stress of wanting to break the record and being so close was finally over.
Q Once you tied the record, did you start to get nervous whenever you had the ball?
A I got determined more than anything. So whenever I got the ball and was in a good position to dodge or take a good shot I took advantage of the opportunity. That way I would have one last game to try to add to the record instead of stressing about having no choice but to score that game.
Q Is there one specific goal from this year that really stands out in your mind as your favorite?
A My favorite goal this year would have to be the goal I scored against New Oxford to send the game into overtime because we came back from being down, 5-1, at halftime to winning the game, 8-7, in overtime. And New Oxford is always a team we look forward to playing, so it's good to get a win out of it.
Q What's the biggest difference in your game from last season to this season?
A The biggest difference in my game would have to be size and experience. Over the summer I got the chance to play against a lot of good teams, and that made my weak hand better. It also added more dodges to my collection and gave me the knowledge of what dodge to do in certain situations. Gaining a couple inches in height and putting on some weight helped me to not get pushed off my dodging line as easily as last season.
Q Now that you've broken this record, what's your next goal?
A My next goal would have to be to break the all-time scoring record for my school which is 125 goals. I'm currently at 103 goals, so I think I have a really good chance at breaking that next season.
Q Favorite field/stadium in the league to play in?
A Central York. It's a nice turf field where a lot of people will usually show up to watch the game. And they usually have good music playing during warm-ups to get you pumped and ready to play.
Q Who's the toughest goalie/defense in the league to score on?
A I think Dallastown definitely has the best defense in the league. It's always hard to score on them because they have some really good poles that play good position and can take the ball away quickly if you're not careful. But the best goalie in the league would have to be my goalie at South Western — Nick Raynor. Shooting on him has made me a better player because I'm forced to put the ball in a corner or else it usually doesn't go in. He has kept us in a lot of games this season, and without him the scores of some of our games could have been a lot worse.
Q If they let you play goalie for a day, how many goals are you giving up?
A If they let me play goalie for a game it would be a shutout ... until I get hit in the shins or knees, then I'm out. It takes a crazy person to enjoy standing in goal taking shots at 70-plus miles per hour. I couldn't do it, so I give them a lot of credit. But I'm perfectly fine being on the other end of the shot, and I think it's gonna stay that way.