Carlmont varsity boys lacrosse started with energy but couldn’t maintain it, falling 9-3 to the Burlingame Panthers on Tuesday night.
Both teams held each other scoreless for the opening minutes of the first quarter, but the Panthers broke through with a pair of quick goals to go up 2-1 half way in. The Panthers kept pressing, adding another to make it 3-1 just a few minutes later.
With the quarter coming to an end, Scots senior Lucas Brown gave Carlmont a glimpse of hope with a goal to bring the score to 3-2. However, the Panthers responded once again, ending the first quarter up 4-2.
The second quarter opened with another early goal from Burlingame, bringing their lead to 5-2. Carlmont attempted to respond with a counterattack, but senior Charlie Wescott’s shot was blocked. Burlingame took advantage of the missed opportunity, pushing the score to 6-2. Scots sophomore Kyle Huang later ran through the defense and passed to Brown, but the shot was yet again stopped by the Panthers goalkeeper, leaving the Scots trailing 6-2 at halftime.
The Scots came out of the break looking to turn the tables. They scored early in the third quarter to cut the lead to 6-3. Later, sophomore goalkeeper Xavier Piro launched a strong pass to senior captain Keoki Firenze, who took a shot that narrowly missed. The Panthers closed out the third quarter with another goal off of a cross to make it 7-3.
“Our goalie, Xavier, he had 18 saves,” said Scots head coach Todd Irwin. “He was getting shelled in there as they were moving the ball very well. He just had a fantastic night.”
In the final quarter, the Panthers continued to dominate, scoring twice more to extend the lead to 9-3. Despite efforts to push back, the Scots were unable to close the gap before the final whistle blew.
While the Scots fell short on the scoreboard, they positively approached and reflected on the opposing performance.
“They had improved in a couple of key areas,” Irwin said. “They were much better at the faceoff. We still had more of the faceoff wins, but this time they were about 40%, which gave them more possession.”
Scots junior Robert Clevenger reflected on the team’s competitive spirit and shared pride in their overall effort.
“This is our second time playing Burlingame, and we had just played Hillsdale earlier. We lost the first game to the Panthers, even though we were up at the half,” Clevenger said. “So, I mean, everyone just wants to win, wants to play good, hard, physical lacrosse. I think we did it, but the result just didn’t show.”
As the season winds down, the Scots are focused on building from their experiences and finishing strong.
“I look forward to just finishing out the year with the boys I love, and the boys I’m playing besides, and just having a great time with them,” Firenze said.
