Boys’ lacrosse (2-2) took its first loss in the Peninsula Athletic League against Palo Alto High School on Tuesday, March 24, dropping the Panthers to a 2-1 record. The game was locked up for its duration, with a slow first half and a second half that led to a 4-1 victory for Palo Alto.
The Panthers’ defense held strong in the first two quarters. In the first quarter, both teams battled back and forth across the field, but neither scored. In the second, Palo Alto’s early goal was quickly returned with a goal for Burlingame that left the game tied heading into halftime.
Attacking player and junior Jason Jajeh said the Panthers struggled to complete their passes on offense and stick to the predetermined game plan. Defense remained strong throughout the game, but the team ultimately sacrificed three goals during the third quarter that they couldn’t make up for during the scoreless fourth quarter.
“A lot of our players did what they thought was right in the instant, but that wasn’t the best for the overall team position,” Jajeh said. “We should have followed the game plan.”
Head Coach Duncan Grenier said the team faced issues coordinating plays and taking the coaches’ instructions.
“We took a bunch of bad shots. I think our defense was really strong, especially in the first half, and then we take a couple of penalties at a bad time and give them some momentum,” Grenier said. “From there, they put us on our heels, and we played like we were on our heels.”
According to junior Levi Keyak, the Panthers began their season with a shaky first scrimmage against Sequoia High School on March 10. Keyak said the team made consistent improvements from that point onward as the offense entered a “flow state,” but many of the struggles from the recent game against Palo Alto were reminiscent of those in the early season.
“It seemed like we went back to the first game against Sequoia, where we weren’t connecting passes and we were kind of thinking about ourselves and how we can do everything for our team, instead of how our teamwork and our plays and our connections on the field can really lead to a win,” Keyak said.
Looking ahead, the Panthers hope to tighten their skills in upcoming games against Lowell High School on April 9 and Woodside Priory High School on April 14.
“[We’re looking to improve] passing, having more awareness of where we are on the field and the matchups that we’re going against,” Jajeh said. “We’ll beat them next time we play them.”
