First Game, First Win

In their first game of the season the Martlets won a hard fought game against a very skilled Eaglebrook squad.  Westminster got off to a slow start and really struggled to pick up ground balls in the first quarter and consequently spent almost the entirety of the first ten minutes on defense.  Nevertheless, they managed to get a goal on a fast break right at the end of the quarter with Charlie Niles '14 notching the goal.  The second quarter was much more evenly played and the Martlets managed to capitalize on some solid possessions, scoring three goals to Eaglebrook's two in the quarter.  Syler Wasser '12 scored when he got the ball on the crease in a man-up situation and quickly found the back of the net.  Elliot Gilford '11, playing  in his first lacrosse game ever, got the next one with a nice assist going to Ben Baucherio '14, and Niles rounded out the half with his second of the game.  Impressively, the Martlets only took one penalty during the entire first half of play, and this undoubtedly helped them in getting out to their 4-2 lead at the half.  Eaglebrook managed to get one in the third quarter, making it a one goal game, and unlike the first half, Westminster found themselves in the penalty box a lot and were forced to kill off a number of penalties down the stretch.  However, thanks to the stellar play of their defenders, Captain Brooks King '12, Dongho Park '13, and Dima Kaigorodov '12, and some impressive saves by netminder Austin Pope '14, the Martlets managed to hold on for the win, with Gilford notching an insurance goal in the final minutes.