On Tuesday, March 11, the 1-1 Millard West lacrosse team hosted their second regular season conference game against the 0-0 Westside Warriors.
Entering the contest, Millard West was coming off a back-to-back weekend where they squared off against the Ankeny Thunder, where they won 14-4, then dropped a non-conference game to the Olathe Lacrosse Club, 11-10. For the Warriors, this would be the first game of their regular season and had the advantage taking on a fatigued Millard West squad.
“These boys put in so much work this off season for days like that,” head coach Nick Brown said. “Days where we play three games within four days. The message was pretty much the usual, just to continue to take care of our bodies and to play the game.”
From the opening whistle, the Warriors dominated possession and quickly put up multiple goals before the Wildcats answered. When the Wildcats did make early attempts to push the ball up field, poor passing and ball control led to the Warriors continually getting more and more offensive opportunities. Thanks to the excellence of Wildcat junior goaltender Brody Clayton, the Wildcats only trailed 4-2 after one period of play.
“Most importantly, we talked about what we were seeing,” Clayton said. “We kept doing our job and focused on what to do and the best way to get the job done defensively to limit dangerous shots. It felt like our hard work on the defensive side panned out really well and we were eventually able to give the ball to the offense and let them do what they do best.”
The open minutes of the second quarter saw what looked to be a completely different Wildcat offense that immediately took over. Seniors Chase Oltman and Aaron Newmeyer struck with two quick back-to-back goals to tie the game at four a piece. The Warrior defense responded by tightening up and cutting off inside passing lanes which forced outside shots from the Cats that wouldn’t sneak past the Westside netminder. With just under five minutes to play in the half and the Warriors on a man-advantage, Westside snuck one more shot past Clayton to take a 5-4 lead into halftime.
“Going into halftime, we knew we weren’t playing Millard West lacrosse,” Brown said. “Cleaning up transitions and getting offensive possessions was top priority. Our defense playing lights out the entire second half allowed our offense to get comfortable and we were able to take control of the game from there.”
Entering the second half, both sides battled evenly until Millard West went ballistic. Just under two minutes in, a tying goal sparked senior Thomas Massara to slice through three Westside defenders and beat the netminder over the right shoulder, giving the Wildcats a 6-5 lead.”
The Cats kept the pressure on as junior Samuel Kirchofer absorbed a hit but slipped a shot between the leg and lower post to make it 7-5. Massara then set up behind the Westside net, feeding senior Gavin Strong for his first goal. Minutes later, Massara found senior David Finnestad near the crease, extending the Wildcat lead to 9-5—all within the opening seven minutes. Millard West carried this commanding advantage into the intermission.
“Team scoring always feels better than individually in my opinion because it shows everyone has a role on the team,” Massara said. “It was definitely important for me to take on that role of playmaking because the guys were in the right places at the right time which made it easier. I feel the offense realized how slow we came out in the first half and we figured out that’s not how we play so we started to trust each other to take shots and move the ball around which set up looks and started to change the momentum.”
Millard West kept their foot on the gas early in the final period. Just over four minutes in, White ripped a heavy shot past the Westside netminder, pushing the lead to 10-5. Both teams traded goals as the clock ticked down, but the Wildcats weren’t finished. Finnestad capped off a stellar night with his third goal—a rocket from the top of the zone—sealing a dominant 12-6 victory. He finished with a hat trick and four total points.
With the win, Millard West improves to 2-1 on the season, showcasing their offensive firepower. The Wildcats will aim to build on this performance as they continue conference play, looking to establish themselves as a top contender.
