5/9 – Andover: 10, Williston: 11
5/13 – Andover: 9, Dexter: 12
Boys Lacrosse (6–8) gave up a 10–3 lead in the fourth quarter, losing to Williston Northampton (Williston) in overtime by one goal. The team also lost to Dexter Southfield (Dexter) 9–12, playing without many due to injury.
Going into the fourth quarter with a seven goal lead, Ben Kazlouski ’28 described the momentum shift of the game and how rushing on offense led to opportunities for the other team.
“We needed to just possess the ball, be smart with it. And we can’t throw it away offensively or shoot it really early into the offensive possession and give them time to come back. They put up some extra good shots and we had a two minute unreleasable penalty against us, and they scored two or three off of that,” said Kazlouski.
On a seven game losing streak, the team has worked to stay positive after each loss. Kazlouski commented on the team’s positivity and recent practices. He also reflected on the offensive and defensive might the team brought in the practices leading up to facing Williston.
“We’ve been having a really rough streak. The past six games have been probably six of the best teams we’ll play all season. We’re trying not to get so negative and dwell on it because they are super talented teams. After losing our sixth game against St. Paul’s, we had our best two practices of the year on that Thursday and Friday before Williston. Offense was clicking really well. Defensively, we were having some really good energy too, that same little pizzazz we needed before our little bit of our losing streak,” said Kazlouski.
Kazlouski described what the team has learned from their past games through film study, which entails being more conscious with shots and penalties.
“We learned that we need to keep taking better care of the ball, which has been the lesson since our very first game. We have too many possessions where we have to get back on defense just because we’re throwing it away or shooting bad shots. We just need to be smarter,” said Kazlouski.
Kazlouski continued, “We can’t be getting any stupid penalties, especially late in the game, and when we are up, we’re in the position where all we need to do is possess the ball. We don’t necessarily even need to score anymore, we just need to be more intelligent and not lose our cool.”
Though the team ended up losing to Williston, Kazlouski pointed out the bright spots of the game and its success.
“There was a lot that we’ve been working on that we demonstrated we can actually do. Our offense was playing beautifully in the beginning. We were getting some awesome shots and now all it is is just being able to finish the opportunities we’re given,” said Kazlouski.
According to Jeffrey Lim ’27 the team was close with Dexter until the fourth quarter, where Dexter pulled away. Lim reflected on the past two games and areas for improvement.
“We need to obviously learn from the fourth quarter mistakes that we have,” said Lim. “So definitely keeping up in the fourth quarter and stopping as much as we can or having another guy in for you so that we don’t get as tired [would be beneficial].”
While the team was upset about its losses, Lim shared that the team’s focus is on improving for its matchup against Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) on Saturday, May 23.
“It sucks to lose, and winning would be great, but our eyes, our minds are on Exeter right now. And these other games that we’re going to play, they’re just stepping stones, and it’d be great if we can use these to gain momentum, use these last few games to sharpen, offense, or defense. So then when Exeter comes, we can beat them,” said Lim.
The team will face Berkshire on Saturday.
