Boys end regular season 4-8

BLAZER STADIUM, MAY 10—

The boys' lacrosse team fell to the Wootton Patriots today, 9-3. Today's result marks the fourth in a losing streak spurred by injuries, sloppy play, missed opportunities, and defeated attitudes.

Following last week's loss to Churchill by a 14-point margin, the Blazers had six players sidelined due to injuries, and one more due to illness. Junior Andrew Beach, who earned a starting spot on the team after putting up a hat trick against Springbrook, is out the rest of the season due to a concussion as is junior Phuson Hulamm because of a knee injury.

While most of the team was physically back for today's match against the Patriots, mentally, most of the Blazers were not in the game. Dropped balls, sloppy passes, inconsistent defense, and an inability to capitalize on offense were the norm in both halves of play today leaving the Blazers frustrated and with 10 acquired penalties. Blair's three goals were put up by senior co-captains Alex Berger and Josh Gottlieb-Miller, and junior Patrick Brice leaving six of the Patriots' goals were unanswered.

In the midfield, juniors Chris Stavish and Justin Hoy dominated. Stavish, who had a breakout game against Sherwood on Saturday, was a steady defender up and down the field, making strong checks and providing much needed support. Hoy used his speed to stop some of Wootton's strongest offenders from scoring on junior goalie Andrew Helgeson.

After Saturday's game against Sherwood, coach Robert Gibb was pleased with his team's performance. "I thought we played with a lot of heart," he said of the game on Saturday. "You know, I was really proud of the guys." Today's result yielded a different response from Gibb as he walked off the field frowning with his head down.

With today's loss behind them, the Blazers look forward to claiming victory over Sherwood when they take them on at Blazer Stadium on May 13 for the first round of play-offs.