The Talawanda boys lacrosse team battled the rain during their matchup with La Salle High School at home April 11. The Brave lost 10-5 to the Lancers, dropping its overall record to 0-6.

“It was the little things that made the difference for us. Not all of our slides were there. We didn’t stop the ball and fast break a lot, but the kids gave a valiant effort. It just boiled down the little things and we have to be better,” said Talawanda Head Coach Sawyer Johnson. 

The first quarter started strong for the Brave with senior Nick Engelhard scoring two goals.

Junior attacker Jonathan Hall then tied the game 3-3 with just over a minute remaining in the first half. Sophomore midfielder Sam Olenick scored another goal to give Talawanda its first and only lead of the game. In the second quarter, Talawanda goalie Craig Cantania made several crucial saves that kept the game close.

“We didn’t get in our heads. We weren’t yelling at each other. We were motivated throughout the whole half,” said Hall. 

The second half started with La Salle adding another goal to its lead followed by a scoring play from Talawanda’s Engelhard. The Lancers scored a second time in the third quarter to take a 7-5 lead. La Salle scoring was aided when the Brave were forced to play a man down for a portion of the quarter due to penalty. 

La Salle continued to gain momentum in the fourth quarter adding goals from sophomores Schrudde and John Suer and freshman Reece Mandery. 

“We’re a young team. We’re powered by sophomore and freshman,” said La Salle Head Coach Simon Leclerc. 

Despite remaining winless on the season, the Brave head coach said he saw improvement from his team.

“We just are not quite there yet but we’ll get there. We’ll keep improving. The kids are working hard. I think we can just build on this game,” said Johnson.  

The Brave will travel to Fairmont High School  April 16, followed by a home fixture, to take on Franklin High School April 19.