Hayfield Works Hard, Falls in Home Opener

     Hayfield Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse took the field tonight, with one goal in mind; work hard the entire 48 minutes of the game. The Hawks succeeded on this goal, and while the score didn’t end in their favor, the young men on this team should hold their heads high, for they never gave up. In the end, Hayfield learned many valuable lessons last night, which will benefit them throughout the rest of season.

    Junior LSM Matt Stevenson (1 goal, 2 assists, 3 ground balls) took the mantle of team leader last night, and kept the team focused on their mission.  Stevenson, normally the Hawks top LSM/defender, switched to short stick, and led the Hawks in their quest to upset one of the top teams in Northern Virginia. Although the team ultimately lost the game, it was not for Stevenson’s or his teammate’s lack of trying. Stevenson nearly had his second goal of the season, when he ripped a shot high left corner, which staggered the goal, and caromed out past the restraining box.

   Other notable contributions included: Jr. Attack Carson Babcock (5 goals, 1 assist, 3 clears) followed up his excellent performance at Wakefield, with another banner game. Babcock, who now leads the Hawks with 12 goals and 13 points, converted 83% of his shots, scored the last 5 goals for Hayfield. He was joined in the scoring column by his two other attack mates; So. Ethan Artero (3 assists), and Jr. Brendan Macbeth (1 goal). All three attackmen played the entire game, and never gave up on offense, nor gave any quarter while riding.

    One of the many pleasant surprises this young season has been the emergence of first year player Mike Sipes (3 clears), who, as a former cross country star, uses his speed to his advantage. Last night, with the ultra-aggressive defenders of McLean taking away passing lanes, Sipes used his legs on several full field clears. Sipes also began to faceoff just this week, and has already begun to master that difficult position. Another fresh face is Jr. Goalie Stanley Grizmala (7 saves), who gained his first start of his varsity career, and turned away several would be goals throughout the evening. His ever present voice helped keep the defense organized, especially in the second half, where Hayfield held McLean to 4 second half goals (10 in the first half).

Goals/Assists/Pts. Scored By: Babcock (5/1/6), Reynolds (0/0/0), MacBeth (1/0/1), Hughlett (0/0/0), Pearson (0/0/0), Enyinnaya (0/0/0), Stevenson (1/2/3), Artero (0/3/3), Merid (0/0/0)