WJ hands lax first loss of season

Now in its fourth year, the Blair boys' lacrosse program has had its share of heartbreak. Its 5-4 loss to Walter Johnson High School, however, takes the cake.

The Blazers never trailed until the final six seconds of the game, when a Walter Johnson shot hit the top of the goal and bounced in, putting an end to Blair's consecutive win streak and moving its record to 5-1 on the season.

Though the game went to Walter Johnson, the Blazers managed to score the first two goals of the game. The first, by senior attack Ben Woo, was scored with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. Junior mid-fielder Justin Craver finished off the quarter with a goal that extended Blair's lead to 2-0.

Walter Johnson soon turned the momentum, however, as it won the face off to begin the second quarter. Ten seconds later, after penetrating the Blair defense, Walter Johnson brought the score to 2-1.

A run by junior mid-fielder Noah Pierce opened up a scoring opportunity for Blair later in the quarter. Breaking past several Walter Johnson defenders, Pierce gave up the ball to senior attack Andrew Ginsberg, who passed to a cutting Woo for the Blazers' third goal of the game.

The two teams battled back and forth. Before the second period ended, Walter Johnson managed to score another goal and go to halftime trailing by a 3-2 margin. The team was able to tie Blair in the third quarter, but a late goal by senior mid-fielder Brian Matheron with sixteen seconds left in the quarter put the Blazers ahead 4-3.

Despite leading throughout the game, Blair went dry offensively in the last quarter. Outstanding play from junior goalkeeper Ben Schwengels, who tallied 21 saves, kept the Blazers alive. After a Walter Johnson shot managed to roll in to the goal and tie the score, Schwengels came up big. As a Walter Johnson attack fired in a shot on goal, Schwengels managed to block the shot and keep Blair in the game.

Even with great preparation, including reading scouting reports and watching video of the Walter Johnson team, the Blazers were unable to pull out a win. Ginsberg believes that the team's first loss of the season was due to more to a lack of intensity than an overwhelming opponent.

"We beat ourselves. We didn't do the easy things that we needed to do to come out on top today. Though [the team] wanted a win, they didn't want it bad enough," said Ginsberg.

Big wins this season, including a 12-1 victory over Einstein High School and an 11-3 win over Kennedy High School, have proven that the Blazers are capable of competing with other teams in the county. A strong defense, led by Lincoln Fischer, has not let up more than five goals against any team this season.

Ginsberg is optimistic about the rest of the Blazers' season and sees its first loss as an opportunity to analyze the team's weaknesses and improve. "Maybe a loss will be something to motivate us," said Ginsberg. "We have to learn from today's experience."