On Saturday afternoon, Culver City High School’s lacrosse squared off against a much improved Redondo team in a tightly contested playoff game at Culver High.
Though not playing to advance, both teams engaged with intensity, heart and the requisite desire to attach a victorious exclamation onyo their respective seasons.
The first quarter set the tone, with each team struggling to settle in and find a scoring rhythm. As the minutes ticked by Redondo found success with defense and speed.
Culver City found theirs in forcing the inside game and winning face-offs.
After one quarter the game was tied 2-2.
In the next two quarters, Redondo managed to stay one goal ahead by exploiting a suspect Culver defense that has struggled by virtue of attrition and inexperience.
At the end of three quarters, Redondo led 5-4, and the tension felt by the hometown fans was amplified by the fact that they were outnumbered 2 to 1 by the South Bay faithful.
Both coaches seemed to have prepared their squads by working on new strategies.
Redondo’s speed players were much more aggressive, and their passing was crisper than in past matchups.
The Centaurs tried a few new twists to their clearing game and appeared more willing to get physical at midfield.
A critical turnover occurred when Centaur coach Casey Chabola brought attention to the fact that one of the Redondo players was not wearing his mouthpiece. The change of possession seemed to bring a spark to the team and fans. But, as in most close contests, this one came down to a team getting back to its strengths and taking care of business in the fourth quarter.
Culver City found success where it’s always been, firing shots on goal.
Time for a Rally
For the game, Andy Campos led his team with three goals by bullying his way through
defenders, spinning and shooting just outside the crease. Matt Gima took the more patient approach, waiting for a breakdown on defense and firing from long range for two goals.
Austin Dupuy found his comfort zone to the right of the net where he let fly two left-handed low balls that rippled rope.
Oscar Lopez and Alek Fabijanek utilized quickness of feet and hands to score one goal each. Scrappy Mair assumed his most vital role, assisting on four of the goals from behind and around the crease.
Phillip Beer denied Redondo’s shots when it mattered most, and the Culver City fans were jubilant as the team celebrated a 9-8 victory.
Last week, we reported that the Centaurs finished 7-7. Oops. After Saturday’s contest, they actually finished a respectable 8-8, which bodes well for a progressively improving, ever-expanding program next season.
