Melbourne Central Catholic vs. Benjamin Boca Raton vs. Oxbridge Academy   MCC vs. Benjamin   Having seen all four of these teams play this year I can say that this game should be a lot of fun to watch because neither team is allergic to getting out on the break and trying to score in transition.  MCC is not a deep team but it has a lot of talent that can put up a lot of goals.  What will be difficult for them is that they are facing a deep team in Benjamin and that dynamic might turn this game into something like the Ponte Vedra game, the only game all year they were beaten soundly.  The Lowdermilk brothers, Zach Freis, etc., are dynamic offensive talents and they will likely hold an advantage at the faceoff circle so scoring goals off faceoffs will be important for them to try for.  Where they will be challenged is on defense as Benjamin runs similar patterns to PV, and MCC had a lot of trouble with rotating towards the wings and Benjamin’s wing play is just as good. I would look for Benjamin to control possessions more and look to penetrate the middle, either getting shots off there or kicking to their wings for open looks.  On defense MCC has not really faced a defense as good as Benjamin’s this season and if they can’t get transition opportunities it could be a long night for them.  Cicio, O’Connor, Dorsett, etc. can shut MCC’s attack down in settled situations.  Benjamin has played by far the tougher schedule and has been mostly hitting on all cylinders for a month now and I look for them to put away MCC in a game that might well be high scoring in the first half but mostly Benjamin in the second as their depth and better defense wears down the MCC team. Benjamin will then move on to the Regional Final as host against the winner of the next game.       Boca Raton vs. Oxbridge Academy   Having seen both teams play this year I can basically make the observation that Oxbridge looks a lot like what Boca Raton was last year, a team on the cusp of taking that final step but still needing the experience to get there.  Oxbridge brings a very young, but talented and organized approach to this game but they are facing a Boca Raton team that matches up very well with them.  Oxbridge runs a very patient possession game, looking to work the ball inside to their better shooters.  They like to dodge when it’s available but they don’t try to force the issue.  Boca’s defense, on the other hand, has a lot of size and experience and this type of open look is not one they give up easily, so I look for the Oxbridge’s offense to struggle scoring. This will put a lot of pressure on Oxbridge’s defense to keep the game a low scoring affair for them to have a chance to advance.  They will need to find a way to cut down on transition attempts by Boca, who have fast and talented middies able to get to the middle, and when cut off, can find cutting attackmen for open looks.  This will be quite the challenge for Oxbridge to handle all of the options Boca can throw at them.  Boca played a top schedule and has spent the entire season in our Top 10 and has a number of quality wins. I feel that Boca Raton will win this game; it will not be a blow out but I don’t see it as a one-goal game either, something like a 3-5 goal spread.  Oxbridge has gotten maximum results this year given their youth but they are really a year away from stepping up to Boca’s level of play this year and that means we will be looking at the Regional Final of Benjamin hosting Boca Raton in a re-match from a few weeks ago for the trip to Bradenton; a game that many local lacrosse fans look forward to.