Coming off of their first loss of the season to the Menlo-Atherton Bears, the boys varsity lacrosse team looked to put themselves back on track against the Menlo School Knights on April 16. Instead, they found themselves matched up against a dominating Knights team, who defeated the Dons, 21-1.
Going into the matchup, it appeared that Menlo had an advantage, having beaten the Menlo-Atherton 12-11 earlier in the season.
The game began with a rocky start for the Dons, allowing eight goals in the first quarter and scoring none. Menlo’s quick and efficient play around the goal yielded numerous scores, whereas the Dons had trouble gaining and maintaining possession. Senior defender Vijay Joshi says, “One of our biggest strengths is [senior midfielder] Stevin Diba. He won like 90 percent of face-offs against Menlo-Atherton. He was out for the Menlo game with an injury, and we only won a few of the face-offs. Getting possession is such an easy way to gain an advantage over the other team.”
Despite numerous shots on goal, the second quarter yielded the Dons only score, coming close to the halftime whistle, by senior attackman Aaron Solomon. Senior defenseman Andros Petrakis says, “It was pretty great [when he scored the goal]. Sadly though, it was way too few. We had a lot of opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on.”
Eventually, the Dons ended up forfeiting four goals in the third and three more in the fourth. Joshi said, “We learned that even if we’re playing teams that out-skill us, we have to work hard. Even if we’re taking a beating, [we have] to hold our heads high as we leave the field.”
Despite the two losses at Menlo-Atherton and Menlo School, the rest of the season has been remarkably positive for the second-season Dons boys lacrosse program.
“We can definitely improve on how we start our games,” Joshi said. “Our coaches have said it, and it’s true: we’re a second half team. That’s not necessarily always bad, but if we come out of the gates as strong as we play in the second half, I think we can compete with teams like Menlo-Atherton, Menlo [School], and Sacred Heart Prep.”
The second-half mentality has certainly been true in recent close matches, with the team coming back to win games against Carlmont (down 3-2 at the half, won 9-6) and Burlingame (scoring five goals in the fourth quarter, winning 11-6).
Yet, as a handful of matches exemplify, the Dons have also had moments of sustained dominance throughout the entire game. Upon numerous occasions throughout the season, the Dons have routed their opponents in an overwhelming fashion, including a 19-0 win against Hollister, an 18-0 win against Washington, and a 17-6 win against Leland. Petrakis says, “Those games were really about working on the little things, so that when [we] went against better teams like Burlingame or Carlmont, we could perform above their level.”
The Dons will travel to Latino Prep on Saturday for their next game.
