Several games into the season, boys’ lacrosse has gotten off to a solid start. After opening the season with three straight wins, the boys were ousted in consecutive losses to Apple Valley and Rosemount, losing the latter by a brutal thirteen-point margin.

            “We had a hot start but then we cooled off, I think, because of bad team chemistry,” said senior Max Elsenheimer. “We’ve recently had some good practices, though, so I think things will start turning up.” Indeed, things did improve in the boys’ next game, as they defeated Bloomington Kennedy by double digits and earned themselves an early 4-2 record.

            Despite the team having only played six games so far, a highlight that already stands out among the players is their win over the then-number 1 team in state, Benilde-St. Margaret’s. The boys prevailed by one point, 15-14, but then failed to capitalize on that momentum moving forward. Within the span of six days, they suffered a loss to Apple Valley and were soon after humiliated by Rosemount in a 16-3 defeat.

            Both results were unexpected, to say the least. To begin with, the boys had never before lost to Apple Valley prior to that match-up. “We should not have lost to them,” said junior Noah Simpson. “But they were really looking to beat us, and we just had a bad game.” Following that, the boys were beat by Rosemount in an altogether ugly performance. “The loss to Rosemount was definitely a low point,” explained Elsenheimer. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a loss like that. It was bad.”

            However, as stated above, the boys did manage to bounce back and defeat Bloomington Kennedy. Now, the team will be looking to keep improving and gain some steam as the season progresses; part of that will consist of fixing the players’ mindset. “We can’t go into games being cocky and thinking that we’ll automatically win, like we did in those losses,” says Simpson. Additionally, both Simpson and Elsenheimer emphasize the need for improved team chemistry moving forward. With that being said, the team’s outlook still looks fairly bright. “We need to get back to the basics, and good things will happen,” Elsenheimer said. “If we do that, I definitely believe we have a shot at winning sections.” No matter what happens, good or bad, the boys are sure to keep their fans interested as the season moves forward.