On April 10, State College Boys Lacrosse took on the Cumberland Valley Eagles in a Mid-Penn head to head match up. Penn State was generous enough to give both teams the gift of playing on its home turf, Panzer Stadium.
It wasn’t ideal conditions out on the field with rain pouring down and a chill in the air, but it was playable nonetheless, so the teams got right to it.
The Little Lions got started right away with two goals within the first five minutes of the game. The first one was scored by senior Tennison Banks, and a few minutes later, sophomore Trey Combs boosted the lead to two.
However, Cumberland Valley was looking to strike hard against the defending Mid-Penn champs and tied it up quickly at 2-2.
“I was actually just texting with the Cumberland Valley coach. He said that this was their Super Bowl. I think the kids need to realize that you have a target on your back every game, you’re going to get everyone’s best game,” State College Head Coach Tyler Kaluza said.
Senior Cooper Brushwood and Combs took over the first quarter with three goals divided between them, leading the Little Lions to a 5-3 lead after the first quarter.
“They actually came out in the zone, which we kind of knew we might get, because we got that last year. So our kids were ready for that. I thought what was really awesome at the beginning of the game, we were moving the ball really well, with a lot of pace, and that’s how you view the zone,” Kaluza said on the early game success.
State High started the second quarter with a bang as Banks collected his second goal of the game. However, Cumberland Valley answered back with three straight goals, tying up the game at six.
Both teams conceded two more goals before the end of the half, and the score was 8-8 with 24 minutes of play left.
“They’re extremely well coached. That was one of the biggest things I noticed. They’re not sporadic, they’re not undisciplined, they know what style of lacrosse they play, specifically offensively, and they stick to that. So they’re very consistent, and consistent teams are hard to beat,” Brushwood said.
State College found itself in a scoring drought in the third quarter, with its only goal made by Brushwood coming with 1:42 left in the quarter. Going into the fourth quarter, the Little Lions were down 11-9.
The Little Lions fought hard until the end but came up short and lost 14-11.
Both Kaluza and Brushwood harped on consistency being the key for this State College team and something they look to improve on through this young season.
“It’s your senior year. You’re not going to give these opportunities out all the time. Obviously, I’m going to play in college too, but I don’t know if I’ll ever really get to play on that field again. And I mean, I’ve been watching Penn State games my entire life, so I think that was one of the biggest things, just kind of trying to live in the moment and enjoy it a little bit, even though it was a tough loss,” Brushwood said.
State College Boys Lacrosse will look to get back in the win column in conference play when it takes on Carlisle at the North Turf on Thursday, April 24.
