Christian Brothers Academy Lacrosse used the last weekend of spring break to test themselves against nationally-ranked competition.

The Colts traveled to Washington, D.C. on April 23 to face Georgetown Prep and St. John's College High School.

In game one against Georgetown, CBA remained in a tight battle with the number 18-ranked team in the country. Ultimately, the Colts dropped the contest, 14-8, but got a four-point performance from junior Nick Blalock (3 goals, 1 assist) and two goals from team captain Aidan Guinnessey.

After attending Sunday morning Mass at Our Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, the Colts squared off against a fellow Lasallian school in St. John's College High, who were the number two ranked team in the country. St. John's showed their talent in a 19-2 victory, but head coach Dave Santos '85 thinks his team will be stronger because of the experience gained.

"It was definitely a worthwhile trip as the team bonded and gained some valuable experience," Santos said. "We asked them to get better and they definitely did that. Hopefully, we are now better prepared to face the tough postseason that lies ahead."

While the final scores didn't favor the Colts, the trip as a whole allowed the team to grow as a unit.

"I've grown much closer with this group of guys through spending time with them, and this will be essential to our future success," Guinnessey said. "We ate meals together, had a long bus ride together, and played two of the best teams in the country together, so it definitely brought every guy on the team closer to one another."

Christian Brothers returned to Shore play after the trip and immediately picked up two high-scoring victories over Freehold Township (15-1) and Marlboro (16-0), hinting that the team might be gelling at the right time.

The Colts have just two more conference games before the tournament begins.

"These games [in D.C.] were necessary because these opponents made us tougher," said team captain Max Avrillon. "Our clearing got significantly better as we battled the best defense in the country at Saint John's. We definitely got better as a team and are more prepared to enter our conference tournament."