Girls Lacrosse

At a record of 5-6, the varsity girls lacrosse team is trying to strengthen their defense and improve the team’s record. On May 10, the team played against Liberty in a home game, losing 11-12. Junior Mindy Hale says that the loss was a reflection on how the season was this year.
“[The game and season] wasn’t as great as we wanted it to be,” Hale said. “Our defense is not where it was last year, and we knew that it was weak so a lot of it got to our heads.”
“We would get so hyped for a game, but when it gets canceled, then you can’t get in the same head space that you were in,” Hale said.
During the game against James Monroe on May 5, the Falcons lagged during the first 10 minutes, allowing Monroe to score five goals. Captain senior Maddie Martin says this shows that the Falcons have to start off strong and not fall back.
“Our defense hasn’t been as strong as normal,” Martin said. “We’re trying to figure out what our issues are and putting people in different positions. We’re still trying to work on transitions on going from defense to offense.”
At the beginning of the season, several games were canceled due to weather. To make up for lost time, the team had to play four games the week before conferences.
“We’re down to the wire; everyone is tired, but we all want to win,” senior Lexi Boone said. “Our record isn’t what we want it to be but we still have high spirits.”
With conference play beginning on May 15, the team is hoping to emerge victorious.
“I think we’re going to do really well. We’re really focused, and we want this for our coach,” Hale said. “He does so many things for us, and we know he really wants to do well.”

Boys Lacrosse

Despite a rocky season last year with a record of 4-9, the team is making a comeback at a current record of 7-5. In a game against Kettle Run on May 8, the Falcons won 16-5. Junior Nate Thomason said that it was the best game of the season.
“It was kind of nerve-racking because that is our rival, but we beat them,” Thomason said. “A lot of time we look at a game and judge it off of how many errors are made, but this game we had very few errors and everyone was having fun, which helped us play better.”
Unlike last season, the team is working harder on communication and has improved their offense. However, team captain senior Gordon Leary says that the defense needs some work.
“Our weakness is our defense because we have younger players that haven’t played much varsity level sports and need to feel more comfortable on the field,” Leary said.
During their game against Freedom High School on May 2, the team lost 9-20. Junior Jack Averna says that the team started the game off well, but deteriorated in the second half.
”That was a pretty tough game, but it was hard fought.” Averna said. “We put up some goals in the fourth quarter to shorten the lead but, the last three quarters, we were really playing up to their level.”
Despite a rough patch, the team’s chemistry is starting to come together. Averna says that the team needs to work more on team bonding, as well as fundamental passing and catching the ball. However, in spite of several hard losses during the season, Averna thinks the team will be motivated to end conference play strong.
“Coach always says that our losses are the best thing that can happen to us, so we will learn a lot from them and make a run this year,” Averna said.