Boys’ Lacrosse Hands Abbey First “L”

It was another successful week for the boys lacrosse team. Coming off a strong 8-6 win over Proctor Academy last Wednesday, the team travelled to Rhode Island to face off against Portsmouth Abbey. Entering the game with a perfect 3-0 record, the Ravens looked to dominate Exeter with up-tempo offense and lockdown defense. Exeter, however, dwarfed PA’s intensity by playing with purpose and fighting for every loose ball.

In another offensive rout, Exeter scored nine goals while goaltender Thomas Stockham was a wall, blocking almost every shot. After 48 minutes of play, Exeter captured another win by a score of 9-4. Portsmouth Abbey was no longer undefeated. Despite a bit of a rocky start, the Exeter team has come to life in the past few weeks. They’ve won four straight and are hoping to keep the victory train rollin’. 

“The key moving forward is being effective in transition and our tenacity on all ends of the field.”

Lower Alistair Matule noted the team’s recent success and made clear that they have no interest in slowing down.

“Coming off of a four game stretch on the road, we will be looking to keep the momentum going this Friday at home against Dexter,” he said. Dexter is home to a very competitive program that will surely be a test for Big Red. While Dexter has not had a very strong start to its season, falling to a few weak opponents, it’s still anyone’s game.

In terms of what the team would like to continue to utilize come game day, upper Ben Solin said keys to success include “sticking to the game plan and playing to our potential.”

This year’s boys’ lax team seems to have tons of potential. With so much depth and readily accessible all-stars, the team is certainly capable of achieving its goals. To build off of the big brother camaraderie on the team, Matule highlighted the team’s spark from day one. “Even during pre-season in Florida, it was evident that the team had strong chemistry,” he said, “and we’ve only gotten closer throughout the first few games of the season.”

Upper Sam Williams attributes this fraternity to each player understanding each other better this season. “We have more of an idea of what each other’s strengths are and that has helped us,” he said.

Now starting to get into the rhythm of its schedule, the team still needs to make some changes moving forward. Big Red would like to keep its winning streak alive, so it needs to fine tune some aspects of its game. Upper Nick McCall said, “The key moving forward is being effective in transition and our tenacity on all ends of the field.”

Solin agreed with McCall, but also mentioned the team’s need to be able to seal the deal. “A real focus is closing games out once we get ahead,” Solin said.

With some tough games on the schedule ahead, including Saturday’s home game against Dexter, there will be plenty of opportunities for the team to make and showcase their improvements in games.