The varsity boys lacrosse team finished off the season with a final record of 2-9 for the 2023 spring season. Though these results may not show the most ideal season, the team stayed strong and played some fine lacrosse throughout the season.
After an 0-2 start to the season, the team got their first win on April 15, against Forman School. The team won 10-1. The defense for the Wyverns was strong. Sophomore Steve Bailey scored three goals this game along with sophomore midfielder Jack Neikrie who scored two goals and collected two assists. Freshman midfielder Dalton Smith contributed with a perfect 14 for 14 on face-offs. Overall, the first win of the season was a true team victory for the boys lacrosse team.
Face-offs were a massive strength for the team that Assistant Coach David Hild highlighted. “We did well with face offs, and I think we got better defensively as the year went on,” he said. Coach Hild talked about the efforts that Smith has put in throughout the season. “One of our freshmen, Dalton Smith, was a great face off man for us,” Coach Hild said. “He was a huge addition to the team this year and we’re very pleased we’ll have him back again for three more years.” Coach Hild was also quick to mention the great leadership provided by junior midfielder Co-captain Michael Bzowyckyj and junior defender Co-captain Alex Levin.
The team would struggle throughout the rest of the season, only collecting one other win against Wooster School, with a final score of 11-4. Seniors defender Jake Amburn and midfield/attack Josh Zukowski each scored two goals this game. Coach Hild believes much of the team’s struggles came from a lack of production on offense. “We struggled on offense and we struggled to score a lot of goals,” he said. “Part of that comes from being a little bit young and not being great at understanding some offensive concepts and relationships to each other.”
Despite this, Coach Hild believes that the team played some of their best lacrosse in losing efforts. “In games against Greenwich Country Day, Suffield Academy, Cheshire Academy, and King School, we played some really good lacrosse, but we had a hard time sustaining it for a full game,” Coach Hild said. “Suffield is a great example where they were a significantly bigger and older team and we were either up or down by a goal at halftime. And we just ran out of gas. Candidly, the best lacrosse we played was in games that we ended up losing.”
It was a long season for the team, but they managed to stay strong and battle in each and every game. Good luck to the team’s seniors as they head off to college in the fall!
