The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School men’s varsity lacrosse team took on St. Thomas Aquinas High School on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m. at Cumber Stadium. It was the Eagles’ third game of the season, and they were searching for their first win after falling to the Community School of Naples 1-17 in their last game.
After a bumpy start to the season, the Eagles were looking for redemption and hoping to get back on the field and secure their first win.
“We were eager to get back out on the field and win after last week’s game,” midfielder Ethan Kass (12) said.
The game opened with the Eagles on defense. The Raiders pressured the Eagles’ defense, constantly attacking their goal. Midway through the first quarter, the Raiders were called for slashing, giving the Eagles a good chance to score. Unfortunately, the Raiders were able to kill the penalty and hold the Eagles scoreless.
Despite goalie Ethan Hand (33) making saves, the Raiders were still able to net nine first quarter goals, while keeping the Eagles without any. The quarter ended with a score of 0-9.
The second quarter proved no better for MSD. The Raiders offense was relentless, instantly swarming the Eagles’ defense before they could generate any offensive momentum. The Raiders’ passing scheme was effective, as they spread out the Eagles’ defense en route to scoring another six goals. This left the Eagles with a 0-15 deficit going into halftime.
The Eagles entered the second half with hopes to chop the Raiders’ lead down. Unfortunately, this did not occur. Instead, the Raiders continued their pass-heavy offensive schemes. However, midfielder Josh Lieberman (8), defenseman Jake Pleffner (14), and the rest of the Eagles defense began to ramp up their defensive efforts. The Eagles did generate some offense late in the quarter, but they came up empty, rounding out the third quarter with a score of 0-20 in favor of the Raiders.
“We faced adversity, but we’re hoping to learn from our mistakes and come out strong next game,” attacker Josh Johnson (22) said.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Eagles sent goalie Rex Barbaro (4) into the game in relief of Hand. Despite one early goal by the Raiders in the fourth quarter, the Eagles’ seemed to adjust to their attack scheme and start pushing back. This led them to make a few shots on the Raiders’ goal in the fourth quarter. Despite this surge of offensive momentum though, it was clear it was much too late for a comeback.
Despite the Eagles being held scoreless when the final whistle blew, they ended the game strong, only allowing one goal in the entire fourth quarter.
“It was a rough game, but we’re going to work to bounce back next week at Belen Jesuit,” midfielder Jackson Gibney (13) said.
It was a tough endeavor for the Eagles, losing by a score of 0-21 and dropping to 0-3 on the season. The Eagles hope to adjust and come out stronger on Monday, Feb. 24, when they will travel to Belen Jesuit High School to play their first away game of the season.
