The boys lacrosse team lost to the Menlo Knights 12-4 on Friday night in a defensive battle.
The Knights opened the game with early momentum, taking possession off the faceoff and pushing quickly upfield. In response, the Bears relied on safe passing and careful positioning, but quickly lost the ball due to the Knights’ tight defense. Using their initial breakthrough, Menlo scored midway through the quarter, giving them an early 1-0 advantage.
Despite the early setback, M-A’s defense stepped up. Several impressive stops by senior goalkeeper Caden Kadivar kept Menlo at bay, allowing the Bears to regain possession and push upfield. Even so, the Knights intercepted a pass and scored again, ending the first quarter with a 2-0 lead.
The second quarter began on a more positive note, with M-A gaining and maintaining offensive possession early. However, the momentum was short-lived as the Bears fumbled the ball during a 20-second back-and-forth struggle, allowing Menlo to take the ball before also swiftly mishandling and turning it back over. M-A searched for an opening, but the Knights’ tight defense forced them to lose possession, and Menlo then used the sudden turnover to score with 9:14 remaining in the quarter.
Despite this, the Bears responded with one of their strongest offensive plays of the game. After a series of quick passes, senior attacker Matthew Sanford spotted an opening, firing the ball into the net to put M-A on the board, 3-1, with 6:21 left.
“We were getting the ball around quickly,” Sanford said. “We just had an open look, and we took it.”
However, their push was short-lived, with the Knights quickly regaining possession and continuing to pressure the Bears’ defense. Despite multiple blocks and interceptions by M-A, Menlo managed to score two more goals, bringing the tally to 5-1 heading into halftime.
The Bears continued to fight in the third quarter, starting with a defensive block that gave them the ball. For several minutes, both teams battled for control before M-A secured possession and slowly gained ground. In an attempt to stop the attack, the Knights fouled senior midfielder Matthew Kwon. With the loss of a player, junior midfielder William Torre took a shot but missed, returning the ball to Menlo.
The Knights pelted attack after attack, but Kadivar’s quick reflexes allowed him to block all of the shots and regain possession. Eventually, the Bears broke through, pushing the ball into the offensive zone. Senior attacker Carey Wolf found space and launched a shot that slipped past the goalkeeper, giving the Bears their second goal of the night and bringing the tally to 5-2.
“My defender was kind of in front of me, so I don’t think the goalie fully saw it coming,” Wolf said.
However, momentum soon shifted as Menlo quickly took back the ball, and their impressive teamwork and pressure allowed them to score a quick goal with 1:16 left in the quarter. In a desperate attempt, M-A tried to end the quarter on a high note, but a missed pass gave the Knights possession with 24 seconds left on the clock. Menlo frantically tried to get off a last-second shot, but the Bears blocked them at every turn. With the clock winding down, the Knights took a shot, but Kadivar was quick to catch it, ending the third quarter with M-A trailing 7-2.
In the last quarter, the Knights extended their lead with several quick scoring runs. Menlo took advantage of a surprise attack and scored with 10 minutes left, following it up with another goal just a minute later. M-A was shaken by the two goals, but with Kwon’s help, they were able to regain possession. The Bears tried for an offensive sweep, but senior attacker Bruno Szollar’s shot on goal was shut down, and the Knights scored once again with five minutes left to bring the score to 12-3.
With less than two minutes remaining, M-A made one final push. Working the ball upfield, they created an opening. With seconds left on the clock, senior attacker Ben Skirboll scored, bringing the Bears’ total to four goals and closing out the match with a bittersweet atmosphere.
Although the final score favored Menlo 12-4, M-A continued competing until the end, sticking together and showing their resilience.
“At the end of the day, it’s about working as a team,” Kadivar said.
The Bears will travel to face the Los Gatos Wildcats on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
