A beautiful sunset of red and orange hues awaited the Highlanders as they went into the inaugural game of the 2023-2024 season against the Chantilly Chargers on March 13th.
“[The team has] first game jitters so we’re all amped up,” head coach Brian Simmons said. “Chantilly is a well coached team, but once we get settled down, things should go our way.”
A tear-jerking rendition of the national anthem set the scene, and the first quarter began with the Highlanders dominating possession.
An offsides penalty on the Chargers left them at a disadvantage for a thirty second period, and Mclean took full advantage, with powerful shots from sophomore midfielder Levi Stockwell and others going wide. Senior attackman Bryce Kojac opened up the scoring, with a shot that whizzed by the head of the Chantilly goalkeeper.
Strong defense from the Highlanders stopped an extended Chantilly possession, and an explosive run from senior goalkeeper Hugh Hancock got the crowd on its feet.
The Highlanders continued to put pressure on Chantilly defense, forcing a rash decision and subsequent one minute penalty from the Chargers. Several impressive saves from the Chantilly goalkeeper held McLean at bay, but still, the unrelenting offense of the red and white jerseys led to a goal from senior attacker Matt Mock.
The second period started much like the first with stingy defense of the Highlanders forcing numerous turnovers. After a crowd pleasing hit from senior long stick midfielder Isaac Bell that cost him a minute in penalty, the Highlanders started an attack once again.
The physicality of the game clearly started to ramp up as the game headed to midway through the second quarter, and several near chances from the Highlanders made it seem inevitable they would score again. However, in a mind boggling sequence of events, it was not Mclean who scored, but Chantilly.
McLean responded rapidly with vengeance as sophomore attackman Christian McNeill smashed one into the net bringing the Highlander lead to 3-1 with three minutes to go.
The Highlanders didn’t stop there though, as junior midfielder Max Mullen provided a beautiful assist to Mock who netted his second goal of the night only seconds after McNeill’s.
Chantilly was desperate for a whiff of hope to keep themselves in the game and with less than two minutes left, their prayers were answered.
The scoreboard reflected determination as junior midfielder Landon Moore put one in the sweet spot from deep and put McLean up 5-2 with a minute to spare. Stellar defense from the Highlanders kept last ditch efforts from the Chargers at bay and kept their lead intact heading into halftime.
The second half started and the Highlanders set off frantically, with junior defenseman Thomas Terminella going 40 yards and smoking one into the top right corner of the goal.
The Highlanders continued their offensive push with insane tempo, keeping the Chargers off their guard and leaving them disoriented and penalty prone. A minute of penalty for unnecessary roughness led to a great shot for Mullen, and he slotted it right above the Chantilly goalie.
As the match continued and the sun began to set, a slash from the Chargers went uncalled, starting a precedent of uncalled slashes and hooks that left the Highlanders struggling to stay upright. However, this adversity kept McLean fired up, leading to another dime from Mullen and junior midfielder Noah Janders’ first goal. Mock scored yet again to bring his total to 3 and the team total to 9.
With eleven seconds on the clock, the Highlanders did everything they could to bring their total to ten, but their attempts were futile and the quarter ended 9-2.
Only thirty seconds into the final quarter, senior midfielder Connor O’sullivan went down clutching the back of his knee. The chargers scored once again making the score 9-3 with ten minutes left in the game.
After a McLean timeout, the Highlanders started attacking, but were stopped in their tracks by a one minute unnecessary roughness penalty by Mullen.
McLean continued to play stellar defense and capitalized on the momentum with a second goal by Kojac and a midfield banger from Mullen for his second as well.
McLean held possession for most of the final minutes until a fast break in the closing seconds led to the fourth Chantilly goal of the evening, leaving the score at 11-4 with a minute left. The Highlanders held their ground from there as the clock hit triple zeros and the final score was 11-4.
“We probably hit ten pipes tonight,” Simmons said. “Our passing and catching was a problem for us, but once we got that squared away we got pretty much what we expected.”
This dismantling of the Chargers sets a good tone for another successful season.
“We missed a lot of shots,” sophomore defenseman Jake Bell said. “Once those fall, we will be a very dominant team.”
The Highlanders head to Robinson on Mar. 20, hoping to take the momentum from this match and turn it into a 2-0 start.
