Lacrosse season starts with messy jamboree

Hood River’s parents led by our president, Dennis Shypertt, worked long and hard to set up fields, run the concessions and generally manage all the logistics. Hood River should be proud of our ability to host a major lacrosse event under trying conditions.

Hood River Lacrosse played well, winning all 3 games we played. Our team, like most others, was a mix of varsity and junior varsity players. For some players, it was the first lacrosse game of their lives. Scores of the games – Hood River=12 vs West Lynn=0 (West Lynn skunked us and brought only JV players), Hood River=8 vs Westview=5 (Westview was a mix of varsity and JV), Hood River=7 vs Sunset=4 (Sunset’s varsity).

For the early season, our team looked good. We hustled and got more ground balls than our opponents, example Hood River 30 ground balls and Westview 9 ground balls. We moved the ball quickly up field and scored a number of quick goals, as we transitioned from defense to offense. We need more work on settled situation team offense and defense – this will improve with experience. We also need to minimize our penalties and time spent playing man-down defense. Overall, it was an excellent first series of games and a good way to start our season.

Sean Jennings, our first year goalie, had a great day, making key saves against Westview and Sunset – he showed us that we have a reliable force in the goal. On the defensive end of the field, Todd Shypertt took the ball away from opposing attackman and cleared it effectively. At midfield, Tyler Monzie scored the game winners against Sunset, sweeping to the right and finishing with blistering shots. Matt Cody, our long stick defensive middie, shut down opposing midfielders and scooped lots of ground balls.

Casey Vannet also showed great hustle playing man-down defense and scoring a goal. Our attack looked seasoned - Jon Munk, Todd Anderson and Corey VanDlac all proved that they can beat their defenseman one on one and put it in the net. Corey Olsen, also a senior attackman, had an outstanding day scoring several goals from the crease area, including one with a left-handed shot. Many of the younger players showed good hustle and gained key game experience.