Boy’s Varsity Lacrosse: CCHS Loses Season Opener Against Cypress Bay

BY OLIVIA LEWIS

The Cooper City Cowboys Boys Varsity lacrosse team kicked their first game of the season off against the Cypress Bay Lightning. The Cowboys fought until the very end, giving it everything they had to win their first game. Unfortunately, the Cowboys lost the game with a score of 15-11.

The starting ten players from each team lined up at the circle and listened to the referees talk. The boys then ran to their positions, and #7 Kadin Schillo got ready to take the faceoff. The whistle blew and the boys flew from their positions, Schillo won the faceoff and moved the ball down to the attack. An attacker went for the shot but missed and the ball went out of bounds. The Cowboys kept possession of the ball and began to throw it around the Cypress Bay defense. Schillo received the ball once again and headed towards the goal, he took the shot and made the score 1-0. The boys set up for another face off, but the Cowboys lost it and the Lightning headed towards the Cowboys net. Freshman Erik Rozanski gained possession of the ball and launched it down to the attackers. The Cowboys moved the ball around and #33 Anthony Carmona shot the ball to the upper left corner of the goal and made the score 2-0. The Cowboys won the next faceoff and challenge the Cypress Bay defense. Senior Craig Barr took the ball down the middle of the defense and shot the ball into the lower left corner of the net, making the score 3-0. “I think the team played amazing for our first game”, Barr said. Cooper was leaving the Cypress Bay players, winning almost every ball. Schillo took the ball to the goal once again, making the score 4-0.

The second quarter began and the boys were determined to score more goals. They lined up for the faceoff, but Cooper lost it and the Cypress player took it to the net. Cypress Bay took a hard shot to the side of the goal and made the score 4-1. The Cowboys didn’t let that goal get to them. Schillo won the next faceoff and took it down to the attack, passing it around Schillo got the ball back and scored. The Cowboys lost the next face off, allowing the Lightning to have another shot on goal, making the score 5-2. The game began to go back and forth, both teams fighting for the next goal. A cypress player found an opening in the defense and shot a ball to the upper 90 of the goal. Schillo won the faceoff and passed it to Barr. Barr took the defense on and scored another goal, ending the half with a score of 6-3. “For all three years I’ve been on the team this is the first group of kids that want to play for more than just themselves,” junior Giovanni Dattilio said. “That gives our team a lot of potential to succeed this season.”

The Cowboys came out with their heads high and confident that they were going to win. Schillo took the face off and threw the ball down to the attackers. One of the players made a bad pass and the ball went out, giving Cypress Bay possession. The Cooper City defenders won the ball back and threw it to the midfielders. Schillo took two shots on goal and unfortunately missed them both. The Cypress Bay goalie cleared it to one of the midfielders and they took it down to the net. Cypress Bay took two shots on goal missed both of them. They had another chance at goal and took it, making the score 6-4. The Cowboys were able to get three more goals in after that. The Cowboys began to get tired, and Cypress Bay scored two more times after that. The Cowboys tried to keep up and get the ball, but were unable to and Cypress Bay scored three more times, making the score 7-10. Barr received the ball again and took a shot on the goal and scored. The Cowboys couldn’t keep up with the Lightning anymore, allowing them to score five more times. Towards the end, the Cowboys became more determined to win the game and they scored three goals, but it wasn’t enough, leaving the game with a final score of 11-15.  The Cowboys walked off the field with their heads high, proud that they competed so well against Cypress Bay. “I had a great experience in my first game,” senior Justin Croye said. “To come out and play with the support of my friends is definitely something to remember.”

Final Score: Cooper City 11, Cypress Bay 15