A second-half comeback propelled the boys lacrosse team to an 11-9 win against Mt. Carmel on Senior Night, April 1. Face-off specialist Liam Thomas (12) crouched at the center, preparing for the face-off as the first player to touch the ball.
Although Thomas was winning most of the face-offs, the team wasn’t off to a great start and Westview was down 6-4 by halftime.
“In the first half, we weren’t at full energy,” Thomas said. “At halftime, we had some disagreements between players and had to figure that out so we could work together. It’s extremely important for our team to cooperate. Our defense is useless if they don’t communicate and our offensive plays are a team effort.”
In the team’s history, they’ve always won against Mt. Carmel, so being down in the first half wasn’t a good sign for the Wolverines.
“When we were down in the first half I felt doubt and frustration,” Thomas said. “I knew that I needed to support my team as much as possible. Each possession after the face-off mattered. You really get that sense of urgency because you really don’t want to lose.”
Thomas said that he had seen a more relaxed approach to games throughout the season that has negatively impacted the team, with this one being no exception.
“Consistently throughout the games we’ve played, there’s been a mindset of low energy that does impact us,” Thomas said. “Some games our offense comes out good, other days our defense comes out good. Especially in the first half, we tend to struggle to get [focused], [but we] get that mindset in the second half.”
Thomas said that in order to get the team’s energy up from the start, the team must remember what they’ve done in practice. They worked together so attackers had support on the field..
“It’s really important to stick to the plays we do in practice — that’s what gets people to score and not having [the attackers] try to run through [many defenders],” Thomas said. “Once we were able to do that and get the plays consecutively, that’s when we started to get goals.”
At the start of the second half, Thomas said the pressure to win increased, so the Wolverines started running some of their most practiced plays, including an offensive play called “rodeo.”
As the team picked up their energy and looked for support from each other, the score evened up 6-6 midway through the third quarter as Westview with two consecutive goals straight from the face-off.
“[We were] able to adapt and understand what we were doing wrong in the first half,” Thomas said. “We were messing up a lot of small stuff in the first half which turned over lots of our possessions. By the second half, we were able to lock off their clears and possess the ball for the majority of the game.”
Westview’s win continued the team’s domination over MC and secured a four-game win streak. As the season progresses, Thomas said that it’s important for him to be a role model to his younger teammates and encourage them to communicate and train hard.
“[As a senior] there’s also the responsibility to make sure that the younger players train hard and get to where they need to be,” Thomas said. “You have to play your best and practice your best to make sure you become a better player. It’s sad knowing it’s my last year, but I’m confident that next year’s team will be even stronger.”
