PREP BOYS LACROSSE: Mavericks struggle against St. Ignatius

By SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer | Saturday, March 15, 2008 5:23 PM PDT ∞

LA COSTA ---- The La Costa Canyon High boys lacrosse team will be up pretty early this morning. Mavericks coach Dallas Hartley called a practice at 6 this morning, partly to right what went wrong in an 11-4 home loss to San Francisco St. Ignatius on Friday night.

While there is no shame in losing to a team Inside Lacrosse Magazine ranks No. 1 in the western region, Hartley wasn't happy with how it happened. The Mavericks, ranked No. 4 in the region by Inside Lacrosse, were equal to the Wildcats in both athleticism and technical skill. That fact did not create a close game.

The Mavericks struggled to find the target, seemed out of sorts against a confident Wildcats crew and never played to their potential.

"That's what happens when you don't execute and you don't stick to the game plan," Hartley said. "We made a number of crucial mistakes in the first half, and it cost us."

The Wildcats jumped out to a 7-1 halftime lead thanks to well-coordinated team defense that helped generate momentum on the offensive end. The goals piled up quickly as La Costa Canyon found itself in foreign territory ---- on the losing end of a blowout.

La Costa Canyon (2-1) did not lie down and played much better in the second half.

The Mavericks opened the third quarter with a pair of unanswered goals by Joey Van Buskirk and Matt D'Angelo, but St. Ignatius erased that effort in a few short minutes and reasserted control.

"They're a fantastic team and they put pressure on us all night, but they just couldn't finish," St. Ignatius coach Greg Angilly said. "They kept barely missing the target or hitting the cage. And after doing that for a while, the goal gets smaller and smaller. That can wear on a team, and I think it wore on them. They were trying to be too precise."

The Mavericks don't have time to stew over this disappointment. A characteristically brutal nonleague schedule lies ahead, with games against several other out-of-town powers and a trip to play teams on the East Coast.

That's why the Mavericks must get back to work early, forget this tough loss and get ready for next week's games against Coronado and Tustin Foothill.

"We have to get over this one pretty quick," LCC midfielder C.J. Small said. "But we should move on knowing that we have a lot left to work on."

Contact staff writer Scott Bair at (760) 739-6642 or sbair@nctimes.com. Comment at nctvarsity.com.

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