Follow the NLF on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
It’s not like The Hill Academy (Ont.) didn’t have its fair share of chances to come away with a signature win in its early-season schedule.
The Pride had taken on national powerhouses like Calvert Hall (Md.), Culver (Ind.), Western Reserve (Ohio), Brunswick (Conn.) and Salisbury (Conn.). Hill showed that it belonged in every game. The Pride held an eight-goal halftime lead against the Cardinals, fell to the Crimson Knights in overtime, and lost narrow games to the Pioneers and Eagles.
There was never any doubt that the Pride could contend with anyone. It was just a question of finding a way to get over the hump and come away with a win. Wednesday, Hill did just that, storming back to beat host Lawrenceville (N.J.), 8-7, for its first ranked win of the year.
“Dropping those two games with Culver and Brunswick, the team was pretty low. After that, we came into this game knowing we had to win. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys and this team in getting this win for us,” junior Johns Hopkins goalie commit Cole Downey said.
“I think we’re right up there, too,” junior Syracuse commit Max Kruger added. “We just had to work on finishing a full game. It’s been a bunch of one-goal games for us and we finished it off today. It’s great. We’re right up there everyone else.”
Downey Steals the Show for Hill
Downey was at the forefront of the Hill’s upset. The four-star was brilliant in the cage, making 10 saves and coming up with stops at really opportune times. The quick lefty is terrific on low shots and showed great hand speed and lateral quickness. On track to be a three-year starter in the Hill cage, he wasn’t rattled when Lawrenceville’s Jake Sturtevant (Michigan) rattled off a natural hat trick. He stopped six of the eight second-half shots on cage to stymie the Big Red’s comeback attempt.
Offensively, it’s an impressive collection of talent that plays well together. As is the Canadian custom, nobody has an off-hand, but they really don’t need it. Kruger, Max Wetherup (Maryland) and Matt Ford (Richmond) are the headliners. Wednesday, though, it was Rutgers commit Kaidyn Lickers that led the Pride with a hat trick. A savvy off-ball presence, Lickers worked well off of the attention that the others drew to cash in on some nice off-ball cuts. Wetherup barrelled his way onto the scoresheet in the fourth quarter with a stepdown and a gorgeous backhand assist to Lickers.
Five-star junior Jett Stake (Team 91 Long Island / North Carolina) made 11 saves to lead the Big Red. Sturtevant finished with four goals and an assist.
Hill Academy vs. Lawrenceville Standouts
Max Kruger ’27, attack/midfield, Hill Academy (Ont.) – Syracuse
Kruger was at the forefront of getting Hill back into the game after the Big Red threatened to pull away on the strength of Jake Sturtevant’s natural hat trick. He took a feed from Richmond commit Matt Ford and ripped one that Jett Stake got most, but not all, of as the ball trickled in to cut the deficit to 5-3 at the half. Kruger got the Pride’s 5-2 second-half run going on another stepdown. This time, it came on the heels of a hard alley dodge and throwback from High Point commit Sean Costigan. Kruger’s high IQ and shooting ability make him a dangerous cog in the Hill offense.
Kaidyn Lickers ’27, attack, Hill Academy (Ont.) – Rutgers
Lickers isn’t very big, but he makes up for it with how smart he is off-ball and how quickly he can catch and finish. He paced Hill with a hat trick, two of which came on nearly identical plays. He took a great feed from X from Vincent Ward and dunked it after an excellent cut to get open in front of the Lawrenceville cage. He then finished off what ended up as the game-winner off of a nasty backhand feed from Max Wetherup. Lickers does a terrific job of knowing when and how to attack dead spots in the coverage, and he was rewarded with a big day.
Jett Stake ’27, goalie, Lawrenceville (N.J.) / Team 91 Long Island – North Carolina
Stake was the only reason why Hill didn’t win this game by three or four goals. He was flat-out terrific for the Big Red, particularly in the fourth quarter. I had Stake down for 11 saves, including five in the final frame. He made an outstanding kick save on Costigan and a superb cross-crease door-step denial on Lickers to keep the game at 8-6. Earlier in the game, he made a ludicrous diving save on a surefire goal to help Lawrenceville kill off a 6v4. It’s fun to watch Stake when he’s dialed in, too. He’s chirping shooters and always encouraging and guiding his defenders. He never shuts up, and his energy rubs off on his teammates.
Jake Sturtevant ’26, attack/midfield, Lawrenceville (N.J.) – Michigan
The senior was the key to sparking the Lawrenceville offense in the first half. The future Wolverine popped off for a natural hat trick with his goals coming 2:04 apart. He showed off his impressive shooting, including an absolute bardown scorcher from the wing off of an assist from sophomore Liam Lockwood. Sturtevant is comfortable attacking from a number of spots on the field. On his third tally, he swept across the top and ripped a shot across his body to the back pipe and in. Sturtevant’s also a good passer, and he showed that again when he zipped a pass to the middle to set up an Adam Ponting (Princeton) goal off of a fake flip play. Sturtevant rounded out his day by wiring home a stepdown off of a setup from 2028 five-star Harrison Tyler (Long Island Express).
Max Wetherup ’27, midfield, Hill Academy (Ont.) – Maryland
Wetherup’s numbers – a goal and an assist – don’t jump off the page, but it was when the future Terp got his that mattered. He gave the Pride its first lead at 7-6 when he finished off an EMO opportunity with a heavy shot. Then, he drove down the alley and flipped a nasty backhand pass to Lickers for the game-winning goal. Wetherup is incredibly slick and smart, and he seems equally comfortable at shooting or finding open teammates.
“No. 19 (Providence commit Dylan Sanderson), one of our veteran guys, kind of gave me the ball and I just saw an opening,” Wetherup said. “Just kind of a, ‘grip it and rip it,’ kind of thing. I saw the empty net and I cellied with the boys hard. I think that was a big thing for our momentum. (Kruger) had a hell of a game and (Downey), all the momentum came from them.”