The NC varsity lacrosse Warriors (3-6) faced the Sequoyah Chiefs (9-1) at Emory Sewell Stadium Friday, March 15 at 7:45 p.m., and unfortunately suffered a close loss. Halfway through their spring 2024 season, the boys continue to put up an excellent fight each game, maneuvering through various teams and campuses. Family and friends packed the stadium for both teams, creating a vibrant night at the NC campus full of cheers and laughter.
“I feel the game went really well and we did most everything we were supposed to, and at the end of the day, it came down to little mistakes. I’m excited for our team to come together because I know our potential. Knowing Sequoyah’s record, we went in the game same as any knowing we are all on this field for a reason and we were just gonna play our hearts out,” junior attacker Andrew Lapierre (15) said.
During the first quarter, the Chiefs scored four goals, causing panic amongst the Warrior nation. However, the Warriors stepped up and scored two goals to combat the quickly-scoring Chiefs. Similarly, the Chiefs scored an extra two goals in the second quarter and the Warriors responded by scoring three goals. From there, the Warriors spent the remainder of the game climbing their way back up to tie with the Chiefs’ score.
“I feel like we played really well during the game but we let them get a couple of easy goals and it got away from us. We knew going into the game that Sequoyah was much better than they were last year, but in order to prepare we just focused on what we needed as a team so we would be as confident as possible going into the game,” junior midfielder Carter Sams (16) said.
Within seconds of halftime, Sequoyah scored, breaking the 5-5 tie. After the rather empowering halftime with hype music filling the stadium, the teams returned to the field eager to play with the remaining time.
Immediately after halftime, the teams faced an intense back-and-forth rally until Lapierre scored, bringing the Warriors up one and tying the game. While hearing the chanting of directions from the Chiefs’ side of the field, goalie Rashad Jefferson (6) blocked numerous shots from Sequoyah, helping maintain a strong defense, and preventing the Chiefs from breaking the tie once again.
After a long period of passing and blocking the ball from the opposite team, the score remained tied approaching the end of the third quarter. Sequoyah then scored twice in a row, putting them in the lead and making the score 8-6. After seconds of the Warriors passing the ball between players, they scored with under five minutes left in the game.
With the remaining time, Sequoyah scored again while the Warriors received a penalty. Following the penalty, Sequoyah scored yet another goal, bringing frustration to the Warriors. NC then scored another goal thanks to their impressive offensive linemen running across the field and steering clear of the Chiefs. With less than a minute left, both teams returned to their bench to discuss their plans and strategies for the final seconds of the game. Unfortunately, neither team scored, leaving Sequoyah as the champion with a 10-8 score.
While Sequoyah defeated NC, the Warriors walked away with hopes of defeating the Etowah Eagles (6-4) in their next game on Tuesday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. The Warriors plan to continue their season with high hopes and wishes to end this semester with winning games. With numerous practices remaining, the Warriors eliminate past mistakes and improve their future performances.
