After two hours of back and forth play, the Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team (BVL) defeated Fieldston 10-9 on Monday, marking the team’s fifth win out of nine games this season. 

Going into the game, the team felt confident as they had played against Fieldston earlier in the season, Joshua Baron (12) said. “We knew what type of offense they wanted to run, so we ran our own defense to counter their offense.”

Anticipating Fieldston’s tactics, the team practiced quick ball maneuvers and settling the ball on offense, Coach Matthew Kambeitz wrote. The coaches also encouraged the players to be aggressive and make good decisions with the ball, he wrote. 

However, despite preparation, the game did not start according to plan, particularly because of the addition of two new players to Fieldston’s team, Dylan Porges (9) said. The team also struggled as they were coming off a long weekend and had not practiced before the game, he said.

As a result, the team was down by a few goals for the majority of the game, which increased the players’ nerves, Baron said. “It felt like we were going to lose,” he said. With only about four minutes left in the game, the team was down 5-9. 

Towards the end of the game, the team experienced a sudden shift in momentum as Will Chasin (9) and Nate Wildman (12) each scored a comeback goal, Harrison Smigel (9) said. “I think the real turning point was [Nate’s] goal,” he said. “Everyone really got hyped and our morale went up.” 

With only 20 seconds left in the game, Smigel and Julien Harcourt (12) each scored one more goal, tying the game and sending it into overtime or “sudden death,” Porges said. 

For Baron, the team’s goalie, overtime was especially stressful, he said. “It’s pretty nerve wracking,” Baron said. “If I let them score, the game’s over.” 

The game then continued into triple overtime, Cameron Sipp (11) said. “It was exciting…it was also nice to see our freshmen step up,” he said. “They played really great.”

Despite the score remaining tied, the team achieved massive success in this third overtime. After a pass from Smigel, Porges scored the tie breaking, game winning goal, with a perfect shot from the middle. 

The team was thrilled with their comeback, Smigel said. “Right after we scored, we had a mosh pit on the field.” 

While the team is excited about the win, what matters most is their perseverance, Kambeitz wrote. “The team has a lot of talent and personality,” he said. “They’re a great group of young, future leaders of America.”