Eagles start strong with an early lead but come up short against the visitors from CO
Facing their first big challenge of the 2023 season, the Eagles Men’s LAX team held their own and took an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter but couldn’t match the depth and experience of the visiting team. Mountain Vista (MV), the 3rd ranked team in CO with 7 committed players in their starting line-up, stormed back quickly to even things up before the Eagles scored to end the first quarter up by one, 4-3.
The break between quarters was beneficial for MV as they adjusted and dominated on the field offensively to head into half-time leading 8-5. The box score doesn’t tell the entire story though. It could have been much worse for the Eagles in the second quarter, except for amazing play by George Adams (So) who made some ridiculously awesome saves in goal! George faced 16 shots in the second quarter, 14 on goal and he stopped 9 of them! #HeIsDefinitelyBack!
The third quarter ended much like the second, with MV dominating offensively and ripping shots left and right. Our SFC boys kept their heads in the game, though, and played a solid 4th quarter holding MV to just 3 goals while scoring 2 of their own.
Strong and physical play by the Eagle’s core defensive unit – Brett Koopman (Sr), Aaron Bolt (Sr), Ben Wakeham (SO), and Johnny Grimstad (SO), as well as solid contributions from Joe Miles (So) and Mikey Adcox (So), kept the MV offensive weapons in check as much as possible. Unfortunately, the Eagles’ physical play also saw some efforts result in more penalties than we’d like to see. SFC committed 9 penalties compared to just 3 by MV, and the Eagles turned the ball over 15 times. These are things the team can and should work on, improvements here will help the team remain competitive for the entire game as we go deeper into the season.
Leading the way for the offense, Matt McKewon (So, Attack) had a breakout game netting a hat trick and being an offensive threat throughout the game, one that the MV coaches were keeping an eye on! Freshman phenom, Colby Rossettie notched 2 more goals for the Eagles – including the first of the game – with Magnus Falkiewicz (So) adding 2, and Brett Koopman contributing one goal as well.
After a few days to rest, recover, and regroup, the Eagles are back on the field at SFC on Wed. afternoon, March 22 @ 5 pm vs. Cherokee Trail (CO) (2-0). Come on out, brave the rain, and support our boys!
#GoEagles