Blair varsity girls' lacrosse loses to Sherwood

On March 28, the Blair varsity girls' lacrosse team (0-2) lost to the Sherwood Warriors (2-1) in a 1-19 game. 

The night was cold, so weather conditions were not optimal. Audience members eager to cheer on the Blazers brought warm blankets to protect themselves from the night’s chilly winds. 

The Warriors held a strong offense throughout the entire game. Throughout the first half, they took possession of the ball quickly after each face-off. As a result, Blair’s game stayed on the defensive side. The Blazers’ defense resisted the onslaught as much as they could; the goal keeper, senior Cindy Hernandez, was able to block several of Sherwood’s close shots. 

However, Blair couldn’t stop the Warriors from scoring four consecutive goals within the first five minutes. The ball stayed in Blair's defensive side for most of this period. Two minutes later, Blair was able to bring the ball to Sherwood's defensive side, but missed the goal by a close margin. 

Lockdown Defense

Photo: A player chases the Sherwood goalie

A player chases the Sherwood goalie Photo courtesy of Jonas Laufer.

The Warriors made two more goals while the Blazers clambered to intercept their passes without much success. Ten minutes in, Blair was able to bring the ball once again to Sherwood's side after a quick interception, but a player mistakenly threw the ball out of bounds. 

While Sherwood's offense continued to score goals, Blair junior Megan Gunnulfsen successfully moved the ball towards the goal, but a save from Sherwood's goalkeeper kept the Blazers from scoring their first goal. 

With twelve minutes left in the first half, Blair head coach Lena Richie called for a team huddle after Sherwood made another goal, with the score at 0-9. 

The rest of the first half did not lead to any more goals from the Blazers. However, the Blair offense started playing much more aggressively, slowing down Sherwood's offensive attacks. Physical contact became more frequent as players from both sides bumped and crashed into each other. 

As hopeful cheers erupted from the crowd, Gunnulfsen attempted to score in the last thirty seconds of the first half, but again narrowly missed. The score was 13-0, Sherwood. 

The second half brought better news for the Blazers. After five minutes of a standstill between the two teams, Gunnulfsen scored Blair's first goal of the game. 

With more aggressive offense and tighter defense from the Blazers, the Warriors were not able to score as often as they did in the first half. Sherwood started making more slip-ups, allowing the Blazers to steal possession of the ball more. 

Nevertheless, Sherwood's agile offense was still able to maneuver around Blair defense, ultimately scoring six more goals in the second half. 

Gunnulfsen and the team were still proud of their performance despite their loss. "I think we played with a lot of heart and passion. I think we were just aiming to have fun with the team…, [but] I think when we need to work on our stick skills and just coming down on [the opposing] offensive to take a good opportunity," Gunnulfsen said. 

Likewise, junior Grayson Davis believes that their score doesn't truly reflect how well they played. "In the first half…we were still figuring each other out, so communication wasn't great, but I think it already started to pick up in the second half…I think as the season progresses, we've already gotten a lot better…[and] a lot more connected in the way we play," Davis said. 

The Blair girls' varsity lacrosse team will play their next home game at 7 p.m. on April 6 against Rockville.