West faces off against Grand Cities
The boys lacrosse team plays a North Dakota team on home turf
The Wildcats stepped up their offensive game and were able to take a big lead on Grand CIties. Although the defense let up some shots, in the end they stepped up to bring home a win. “We played a lot better in this game, compared to games earlier in the season,” senior Nathan Kozisek said. “Although it wasn’t a perfect game and we need to work on some things, I feel I played a lot better team defense.”
April 15, 2022
After a close win against Elkhorn, the Millard West varsity lacrosse team prepared to take on Grand Cities on Saturday, April 9. The game was evenly matched, as Grand Cities had played Creighton Prep and Westside days before.
The game started off fast with sophomore Reece Straley winning the faceoff and taking the ball down the field. After several passes and attempted dodges, Straley found a hole in the defense and was able to score a close goal. Shortly after, Grand Cities was able to score two quick goals against the Wildcats from creating separation on their dodges. Following this, Millard West took the momentum back, as senior defender Asher Thomas scored a fast break goal accompanied by a goal by junior Brody Gorseth. Ending the quarter, junior Reef Beal scored a close goal to give the Wildcats a 4-2 lead.
“I definitely think that the game against Grand Cities was our best game of the season so far,” Straley said. “We played as a team and we were closer to playing a full four quarters.”
Once again, quarter two began with Straley putting a quick goal away and increasing Millard West’s lead. Directly after, freshman David Finnestad threw a no-look pass to freshman Luke White for a quick stick goal. This created a score of 6-2. Although the Wildcats had the momentum starting the quarter, Grand Cities quickly came back as they scored two goals on transition. Following these goals, there was a long period with no scoring as the quarter ended with only one Grand Cities goal.
“Throughout the game we improved with team offense,” sophomore Kaden Sellmeyer said. “Another thing we worked hard to step up was our clearing and riding.”
The third quarter started with Straley winning another faceoff and carrying the ball behind the net. He then got a quick pick from Finnestad and had another shot at the cage. Unfortunately for Millard West, it hit the bar and bounced back past the 50. Several minutes later, the Wildcats had another opportunity where sophomore Jake Vanis had a nice dodge to put the ball away. This was followed by three more goals by the Wildcat attack coming from Finnestad and Beal. Ending out the quarter, North Dakota was able to score a quick goal to put the score at 10-6 Millard West.
The fourth quarter began with both teams scoring a goal and then a long shot from North Dakota to go up one more. This created a score of 11-8 and forced the Wildcat defense to play out father. Following this, North Dakota came within two goals of Millard West, scoring one more off of a tight shot. This led to Reef Beal winding up to put another goal away for the Wildcats and securing the win. After the goal, Millard West ran out the clock by losing their man and keeping quick ball movement.
“Obviously none of it was perfect,” Straley said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but overall we played a great game.”
The game ended with a score of 12-9 as the Wildcats outplayed Grand Cities. Millard West will be back this Saturday to take on Ankeny and Waukee in Des Moine, Iowa.
