The Menlo boys varsity lacrosse team was defeated by Sacred Heart Prep 17-2 on Wednesday, March 20. “It’s really hard to go up against a team that has 15 subs on the sideline, and we’ve got five,” head coach Blake Kim said. “[SHP] is a very formidable opponent for our program, and we didn’t [keep possession] of the ball the way we wanted.”
Kim explained that the mindset going into the game was to “enjoy the ball” by moving around the field and then looking for and taking advantage of good matchups, keeping in mind that they were facing a talented team. However, he feels that the Knights rushed their passing and were impacted by the lack of subs in a physically-taxing game.
Sophomore goalie Benjamin Chock kept his composure in front of the goal throughout the game, making crucial saves in each quarter. However, Sacred Heart was able to capitalize on goals immediately after game restarts; four of their goals were scored within one minute of a face-off, end of a time-out or start of a new quarter.
With three minutes remaining in the first quarter, sophomore midfielder Palmer Riley drove into Sacred Heart’s half, spun to the left and slotted the ball into the goal, bringing in Menlo’s first point on the scoreboard.
The game took a 20-minute pause shortly into the second quarter, when junior Kyle Mahaffey, senior midfielder Harry Housser and an SHP attacker collided with each other directly in front of Menlo’s goal. Mahaffey, a defender, required medical attention on the field, but the game resumed soon after he could walk off.
Menlo got the last goal of the game at the end of the fourth quarter when senior attacker Nicky Scacco placed the ball in the back of the net. He was assisted by junior attacker James Wernikoff. Wernikoff said that the team is looking forward to their game against Serra on Friday, Mar. 22, as they are expecting a win that will generate momentum for the Knights going forward.
