Lax gives Titans the ax

APR 2, EINSTEIN HIGH SCHOOL—

The boys' lacrosse team won at Einstein High School, 8-5, boosting its record to an impressive 3-1 after recording a key 8-7 win over Kennedy High School on Mar 24 and a 12-3 trouncing of Gaithersburg High School on Mar 28.

Senior attack John Selby, who scored the team's first three goals, landed a hat trick just 12:15 into the game. The Blazers never trailed the Titans, but Einstein tied the score at three with 6:45 left in the first half and trailed by only one goal going into the fourth quarter.

Offensive struggles for much of the third quarter almost let the victory slip by the Blazers, who had trouble even advancing the ball past midfield at the start of the second half.

But Blair dominated again in the fourth quarter. Junior attack Josh Gottlieb-Miller scored two goals 57 seconds apart late in the final period of play, eliminating any chance of a comeback for Einstein. Gottlieb-Miller's first goal and a second quarter goal by junior midfielder Alex Berger came off passes from Selby, who is the Blazers' most potent offensive threat this year.

Selby praised the team's "smart playing." "We ran our offense well, and we did well on extra-man offense," he said.

The Titans out-shot the Blazers 34-31, but Blair's excellent defense and goaltending ensured a victory in this very physical game. The smothering defense has been the team's most beneficial asset, allowing only 5.8 goals per game in the 16 games since the beginning of last season.

Quality play from senior goalie Ben Schwengels, whose unorthodox but successful out-of-the-crease goalkeeping style allowed him to record 24 saves while sparking numerous fast breaks, helped ensure victory for the Blazers.

Coach Bob Gibb was dissatisfied with the Blazers' offensive performance. "My major concern is that when we play some of the best teams in the county, then we'll need more than eight goals," he said.

Blair's offense, however, did improve from its previous outing. In the home-opening 8-4 loss to Springbrook High School on Mar 31, the Blue Devils won the opening face-off and never looked back as they jumped to an early 3-0 lead. A six-minute defensive lapse in the middle of the second half yielded four more consecutive Springbrook goals, sealing the Blazers' fate.

Blair made one last surge with a fourth-quarter goal by Berger. Junior Keith Larkin then scored two goals in the final three minutes of the game. Gottlieb-Miller led the team with two assists against the Blue Devils.