On Mon., March 2, the men’s varsity lacrosse team went up against University School in their seventh matchup of the season. It was their third home game of the season, where they aimed to bounce back from a loss against Wellington High School on Wed., Feb. 25. The team entered the game on a losing skid, losing their last four games straight with a 1-5 record on the season. University School came into the game with a 2-3 record.

To kickoff the game, University established a very aggressive offensive style, passing a stretching out the field and making the team’s defense work hard to keep the ball out of the goal. However, after a pair of saves by goalie Matteo Swetsky (16) and the defense clearing the ball out of the zone, the team launched a counterattack that was capped off when the team drew first blood on attackman Mason Wiener’s (2) goal.

A minute later, University moved the ball down the field and quickly netted the equalizer, tying the game at one with 9 minutes left in the quarter. On the faceoff, University once again won possession of the ball and stretched the defense out, which opened a hole in the defense and allowed them to score their second consecutive goal, taking their first lead of the game at 2-1.

The University offense continued their aggressive style in the next three minutes of the game, scoring three goals while the team struggled to clear the ball and generate any offensive attacks. Following this, midfielder Dylan Kaye (31) managed to get the team’s offensive back on track by scoring a goal with just under four minutes left, cutting their deficit to three with the score at 2-5.

As the final minutes of the quarter came to an end, Swetsky continued to play a good game, making numerous saves despite the aggressive offense from University. Still, University was able to sneak in a goal with just seconds left, making the score 6-2 at the quarter mark.

“Our goalies had played well throughout the game and made many saves,” midfielder Josh Lieberman (8) said.

Entering the second half, Univerity’s offensive tactics proved effective. By pressuring the team’s offense early and passing the ball frequently, University successfully kept the ball away from the team which allowed for less focus on defense and more prioritization of offense. This tactic allowed NSU to score three more goals within the first 3 minutes of the second quarter.

After a save by Swetsky, he attempted to pass the ball out to midfielder Nate Klein (21). On his jump for the ball, an University player delivered a cheap shot and Klein went down injured, which sparked displeasure amongst the team’s fans. While Klein was fine and able to run off the field, the team had their chance to get back on the board on the power play.

The team capitalized on this opportunity, as midfielder Max Fliegel (18) scored the team’s third goal of the game, making the score 3-9 late in the half. University School responded with another trio of goals of their own, ending the half up 12-3 on the team.

Coming out of the half, the team needed to gain some offensive momentum if they wanted any shot of mounting a comeback in the second half. However, this did not occur.

In the third quarter, the team failed to score a goal, while University scored five more goals, which gave them a 3-17 lead at the end of the quarter.

“We struggled defensively, and I think we just need to be more physical and aggressive,” defensive midfielder Max Troy (10) said.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the team was down big, but they played it through despite the deficit. Halfway through the quarter, Fliegel put another ball past University’s goalie, getting his second goal of the game.

Following that, Lieberman also scored a goal, making the score 5-17. To cap off the game, Fliegel scored one more goal to complete his first career hattrick as the clock winded down.

“It was great to go out and have my first hat trick of my career, but at the end of the day that performance should be throughout the entire game,” Fliegel said. “However, I am proud of the way I played but there is always room for improvement.”

It was a difficult game for the team, being their fifth straight loss at a final score of 6-17. With the result of this game, the team dropped to 1-6 on the season, with a change needed to turn around their trajectory. They will attempt to snap their losing skid on Tues., March 10 at home against King’s Academy High School.