Boys' Lacrosse Falls to Bridgton in Scrappy Game

Boys’lacrosse fell to Bridgton 7-9 in a scrimmage this past Saturday to open their spring slate. Big Red’s roster is stocked with young talent, offsetting the sting of a whopping 15 players graduating from last year’s 14-5 team. Seniors Cody Rorick and Pat Quinn opted not to play lacrosse this year, while would-be upper Michael Lackey jumped ship for junior hockey in Ann Arbor at the conclusion of the 2012- 13 school year, meaning that the roster saw an unbelievable 56% turnover from the 34 players of the 2013 season. Throw in the retirement of long time coach Eric Bergofsky (who was replaced by coach Bill Glennon), and it is difficult to predict how this season may go for a program that has been among the best in New England in recent years.Although the scoreboard reflected a loss for the boys, Exeter actually held a 6-3 lead at the conclusion of the first half, when coach Glennon played his first line that he will feature in the majority of games once the regular season gets underway. A loss is never something to be happy about, but the team seemed to take many positives out of the performance and did not seem too con- cerned about a slim loss in a scrimmage.“We moved the ball around well and looked solid defensively,” prep Mac Perry said. “It was a good start, but obviously there is always room for improvement.”Unfortunately, the game was marred late when a Bridgton player needlessly instigated a skirmish, illegally checking lower Dave Parsons and punching upper Will Edwards after the conclusion of the play, which ignited a hockey-style linebrawl. Exeter had been frustrated through- out the game by Bridgton’s overly physical and unsportsmanlike style of play, and ten- sions boiled over when a fist was thrown.“At points, it was hardly a lacrosse game,” lower Jason Corcoran said. “It felt like we were playing football play- ers running around with sticks in their hands.” Corcoran was referring to the lack of technique in Bridgton’s game, as their players mostly just resorted to brute force throughout the match, leading to many late, illegal hits and slashes on Exeter players.“They just played with an overall lack of class and sportsmanship,” Perry summed up.Corcoran was disappointed by the fight between the players, especially be- cause Exeter had attempted to cancel the scrimmage earlier in the term. The fixture remained on the schedule due to many other teams cancelling their matchups with Bridgton.“Itwasabadwaytoendagamethat shouldn’t have even happened,” Corcoransaid.Aside from the skirmish, however, theplayers seemed happy with the lacrosse that was played, and their chemistry will only continue to grow as the season goes on.The team kicked off its regular season with a big win yesterday against St. Sebas- tian’s in a conclusive 6-4 victory, setting the tone for the remainder of the term.Exeter’s next game is at home against BB&N this Saturday, as the team hopes to continue Big Red lacrosse’s tradition of success and, as always, seek the elusive win against Deerfield on May 17.