Boys lacrosse team can’t get by Canby Cougars

MATT LUCHSINGER

Luchsinger is hoping that the 2017 season will be an inversion of how the 2016 season unfolded and that a quiet April schedule (only four games left this month, including this Wednesday’s 5:30 p.m. matchup at Westside against the 1-2 Century Jaguars), will give the Eagles time to get their roster healthy and in good standing.

“We struggled on our defensive side, which cost us,” Luchsinger said of the Canby game. “That’s partially due to the fact that we were missing a couple starters. We’re not at full strength right now… I feel this year, we’re going to start peaking in the next two weeks.”

Luchsinger said he felt “both teams played flat” Saturday, suggesting that the rainy, windy weather and the early afternoon game may have contributed to the quality of play. With the exception of a brief period during the first quarter, the Eagles trailed the Cougars (5-0) for the entirety of the contest.

It was the lowest scoring result HRV has posted thus far this season, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The Eagles dominated possession and shelled Canby throughout the first half, but struggled to get shots past the Cougars’ keeper. The final result was made all the more frustrating by how well the Eagles did controlling the ball, particularly on faceoffs, where Alex McAlpine dominated the circle.

“We won the faceoff battle, we won the ground ball battles, and I think we even won the possession battle,” Luchsinger lamented. “Between the lines, we won that game.”

However, when Canby was able to wrest the ball away from HRV’s control, they exploited the Eagles’ “young defense,” working the ball deep into the zone, and forcing HRV keeper Justin Smith to face numerous point-blank shots.

“Man, I couldn’t be more proud of that kid,” Luchsinger said of Smith, who had 13 saves. “He has been playing very well; he actually got player of the game. I rewarded him the game ball for just standing tall… I think eight out of 11 of those goals came from shots two to five yards out of the crease, and they were one-on-one and you can’t expect a goalie to save those.”

On offense, midfielder Bruce Ostler led the Eagles with two goals and an assist as well as a team-high eight ground balls, followed by attack Steven Crouch, who also scored a pair, and a goal each from attack Jackson Lebsack and middie Jack McCaffrey. Charlie Cohn, who played on defense, also tallied an assist.

After Wednesday’s competition, the Eagles will wrap up their four-game home stint Monday with a 7 p.m. game with Wilsonville (0-4) that will be played at Henderson Community Stadium.