Boys' Lacrosse Takes Down Loomis Chaffee

Boys’ varsity lacrosse played New Hampton away on Wednesday, winning 10-4. This is their 5th victory in a consecutive streak. On Saturday, Big Red will play Loomis Chaffee at home. Both teams had a slow start, but soon Exeter gained dominance on thefield. New Hampton played a zone defense, which proved difficult for Exeter’s offense early in the game. However, they were able to circumvent some of New Hampton’s strategy and got several excellent shots on net. Despite a strong goalie for New Hampton, senior Jack Russ slipped the ball into the net, making the score 1-0, Exeter.“Jack Russ had a really good offensive day with two goals,” upper Nick duPont said. “He was really stepping into his shot and putting it by a very good goalie.” No more goals were scored in the first quarter, which ended 1-0 with Exeter in the lead.At the start of the second quarter, Exeter began to play at their usual pace, and the offensive line turned up the heat on New Hampton’s offensive line. Post-graduate Dan Mini and lower Michael Lackey scored the second and third goals for Big Red. In the Exeter’s net, post-graduate Colin Delea had an excellent game, and managed to maintain a shutout throughout the second quarter. Senior Nick Weigel scored the last goal before halftime, ending the quarter 4-0, Exeter.“In the first half, our shots just didn’t find the target,” senior Max Heald said. The third quarter began and New Hampton was able to steal the ball, scoring once. However, Exeter almost immediately came back stronger. Lower Winston Smith consistently won face offs for Big Red, and was crucial in maintaining possession. Receiving the ball from Smith off of one of these face-offs, Mini carried it down the field and passed it to Lackey, who scored his second goal of the game. Soon after, Russ hit the net, bringing the score to 6-1, Exeter. New Hampton gained some momentum and scored again. Senior captain Chris Keating’s strong defense allowed Exeter to quickly recover, and Mini was able to get the ball in the net. At the end of the third, Exeter was still in the lead, 7-2.In the final period, Exeter scored three more times, and New Hampton scored twice. Senior captain Matt Ryan had two goals, and Weigel had another. The final score was 10-4, Exeter.“It was a solid effort on our behalf, " Heald said. “We definitely dominated the game and didn’t give them many opportunities on offense. We haven't played against a goalie that good this year, so it was definitely a learning experience and helped us be more careful of where we place our shots.”