Each and every game, the boys lacrosse team hits the field ready to make a statement, searching for a defining moment that will secure it a spot among the top contenders in the district. The team hopes such a moment will come tomorrow when it squares off against Woodson in at match-up of two of the district’s top teams.
“I expect our team to play the best lacrosse of the year against Woodson,” senior Ryan Miller said. “This is the game that we think about from the beginning of the year and it is always exciting to play against an archrival.”
Having won two of its three district match-ups since the return from Spring Break, the team is now 4-1 in the district, making it one of four one-loss teams. With that in mind, the Atoms head into their final two district games with their eyes on securing the top seed in the district tournament.
“[Our last two district match-ups are] going to be big. We got popped by South County, so if we can somehow finish with one district loss, there’s going to be a logjam for that top spot,” Head Coach Bill Maglisceau said. “If it happens that we have two or three district losses, I still like our chances in a home game in the playoffs.”
“Our final two district games are extremely important because of how the district has played out this year,” Miller said. “Winning the last two district games will put us in optimal position heading into the tournament.”
With this goal in mind, the Atoms will have to improve their play by continuing to cut down on turnovers, which have cost them the lead in several games this season.
“In our last couple of games we’ve done a good job of making our opponents turn the ball over,” Maglisceau said. “If it comes down to the number of turnovers, we’ll have to improve on that; otherwise, it’ll be a dogfight.”
“So far, our clearing has been solid and we have started off most of our games extremely well with early leads,” Miller said. “We need to improve our fundamentals such as stick skills and moving off-ball because we have committed too many turnovers, allowing opponents to cut into our leads.”
Such turnovers have proved costly for the Atoms, who lost four of six games after their 2-0 start to the season. Luckily for the team, all four losses came against teams from outside of the Patriot District, meaning they will have no impact on tournament seeding.
“I expected our overall record to be better, but we played some good non-district teams,” junior Joe Bermingham said. “But the district record is all that really matters.”
For Maglisceau, however, the 10-15 loss to South County on April 17 still came as a disappointment.
“We definitely would have liked to have done better against South County in the third and fourth quarters,” Maglisceau said. “But we’re 4-1 in the district; that’s a pretty good spot to be in.”
Despite their favorable standing, Bermingham and Miller each recognize the need to maintain their focus and continue to improve heading into the final stretch of the season.
“The team must practice hard and stay focused on our goal of winning the district as we head into the postseason,” Bermingham said.
“Our team is very strong, but we just need to clean up some of our weak areas and become more disciplined,” Miller added. “If we improve our fundamentals and tighten up on defense, we will be a tough team to beat come tournament time.”
