Boys varsity lacrosse has faced a challenging season so far, holding a 3–8 record, but the team has continued to compete hard and show resilience.
The season opened with a tough road matchup against Rye Country Day School, where the team fell short and ended with a score of 19-5. Just a few days later, they showed immediate improvement in a close 14-13 loss against Rocky Hill School, proving their determination.
After starting 0–2, the team responded in a big way. On their home turf, boys lacrosse earned back-to-back wins over The Williams School, 11–7, and Marianapolis Preparatory School, 14–1. Those victories showed what the group could accomplish.
Head Coach Joshua Shafer talked about the team and the love of the game and of this group of boys. “I would say this season is defined by our seniors,” Coach Shafer said. “The hard dedication our returners have put in and building this lacrosse program from the ground up has been very important to me as someone who’s an alumni of the school.” As a former player and student at KO, Coach Shafer wants to make this team the best possible. “In addition, we did not win a game last year, so that really lit a fire for our team,” Coach Shafer said. “I am beyond proud of this team for the hard work everyone has put in to improve.”
The rest of the season has featured both low and high moments. The team dropped games to St. Luke’s School and Greens Farms Academy, but answered with another strong performance on the road, defeating The Bancroft School 12–7 for its third win of the season. Since then, the team has battled through a difficult stretch against strong opponents, including King School, where they lost 6-15, Hamden Hall Country Day School, which was a tough 2-14 loss, Greenwich Country Day School, where they were defeated 1-17, and Cheshire Academy, with a decent game and final score of 7-21.
“Our league competition is very strong,” Coach Shafer said. “Being in the FAA is very tough, and playing teams in the Fairfield region. King, St Luke’s, Greenwich Country Day, Green Farms, and Rye are all tough opponents for us. We have seen a lot of improvement from last year. I think we will see better results next year.”
What is immediately noticeable is the teamwork and group camaraderie that is displayed on and off the field. The friendships and bonds between the players are amazing, and that beats winning a game any day. “Everyone gets along great,” senior midfielder Captain Ryan Munz said. “We are always joking around and having a good time.”
Lacrosse is definitely not an individual sport, and everyone has an impact. Munz primarily plays hockey, but he takes his teamwork and communication skills from there onto the lacrosse field to help as much as possible. He also notices lots of other people who have had an impact as well. “Players like Dalton Smith, Matty Towne, Gabe Weiner, Nico Seymour, Michael Denardo, Jacob Say, and Quinn Heal have had a great impact on our team,” Munz said. “Our newer players, such as Travis Parsons, Noah Patrei, Ashton Binalla, and I, have grown lots and have had meaningful impacts on our success too.”
