The McLean boys lacrosse team traveled to Chantilly to take on the Chargers at 7:15 pm on March 19. The game was filled with intensity from start to finish, with the Highlanders figuring out their offense as the game progressed. The Chantilly offense was just too aggressive for the Highlanders to handle and the Chargers cruised to an 18-13 victory.
“Chantilly has been looking at us for a while since we were their last game last season,” head coach Brian Simmons said. “They knew our personnel coming in, but they didn’t do anything that threw us off. I think it was a lack of our guys being ready to go on the field.”
The first quarter started off rough for the Highlanders as Chantilly came out of the gates with five straight unanswered goals, forcing the Highlanders to regroup. The Highlanders quickly struck back at the end of the first quarter and were able to score three quick goals. The Highlander defense improved in the second quarter, only allowing 3 goals against the high flying Chantilly offense. The score was 8-5 Chantilly at the half.
“We talked about defense before the game and communicated well,” sophomore defender Malek El-Farhan said. “It didn’t go our way today, but we will give it time.”
There was an offensive explosion from the Highlanders in the second half. The third quarter saw the Highlanders get within one goal of tying Chantilly. It was 10-9 near the end of the third and the Highlander defense was holding strong, but they lost their energy in the fourth due to the constant pressure from Chantilly.
“They got more ground balls than us and that messed us up because we weren’t as aggressive as them on those,” El-Farhan said.
Chantilly got off to a hot start in the fourth quarter and maintained that momentum until the end of the game. McLean suffered a setback as senior defender Thomas Terminella sustained what appeared to be a knee injury and was helped off the field. He was a vital part of McLean’s defensive success all game.
“I thought Thomas Terminella had an amazing game,” El-Farhan said. “He put his heart and soul on the field for us and hopefully he recovers quickly.”
Without Terminella, the Highlanders continued to struggle keeping up with Chantilly’s pace. The Highlander offense had difficulties finding the net in the fourth quarter and were losing most of their loose ball battles. It was a crushing opening day defeat for the Highlanders, and Terminella’s injury means that younger players will have to step up in the coming weeks.
“We want to give our young guys more reps and more experience,” Simmons said. “Today, the young guys didn’t quit, didn’t give up and there was no finger pointing. We were just coming together as a unit and still trying to learn and grow as a team.”
