On March 8, the boys varsity lacrosse team matched up against De La Salle High School, which is known for their Lacrosse. De La Salle came out to Menlo and walked away with an 18-4 victory over the Knights. That’s no shocker, as De La Salle was expected to top the Knights, but the takeaways from playing such a talented team have been important in order to build success later this season for the Knights.

Although Menlo Lacrosse is strong, De La Salle is sending players to Division I schools. For example, De La Salle’s goalie Hugh Conrad will attend and continue playing lacrosse at Yale University. Their top scoring leader Nolan Ohram, who already has double-digit goals, is also off to Swarthmore. 

The takeaways from playing De La Salle are pushing the Menlo squad to better prepare themselves to compete against high caliber programs.

Junior Lucas Vogel has just come from a successful basketball season and has quickly transitioned to lacrosse. “Playing a team with that much talent is a great experience,” Vogel said.

Menlo is in the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL), which includes strong teams like Saint Francis, St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart Prep. “Menlo is in one of the top leagues in the Bay Area, […] and I think for some of the guys, especially me, it was a wake-up call. We have talent, but it’s time to really commit ourselves for the rest of the season,” Vogel said.

Star junior Keane Murphy is excited for what Menlo can do with the rest of the season. “De La Salle has a really strong program, and I’m looking forward to improving off that game and moving forward. We have a really strong team,” Murphy said. 

As for preparation and what to do moving forward, both Vogel and Murphy are excited to continue improving as a team.“It’s still early in the season. We’re still understanding how we all play together, but as practices have gone on, I feel that each day we’re starting to become stronger and stronger. It takes a one-day-at-a-time approach,”  Murphy said

Overall, these two key players for the lacrosse team are looking forward to what the rest of the season has in store for them, even with the tough loss against De La Salle. “I’m not discouraged at all, I’m stoked to see our rise throughout the rest of the season,” Murphy said.