Lacrosse team hopes to build team for next year

Although the lacrosse team started its season with a 1-7 record in the De Anza League, the boys hope to lay the foundation for next year.

After losing the first four games of the season, the Falcons managed a victory against Leland High School 15-3 on April 1.

“We had a lot of losses leading up [to the game against Leland], and we needed a win, and we got a big one,” sophomore defenseman Derek Yun said. “It really boosted our morale, and it felt really good to experience that moment with the team.”

Yun said that despite the losses, the team has been constantly improving. Individually, he has been practicing and conditioning to be the best lacrosse player he can be.

After the Leland win, they lost their next three games: the first to Los Altos on April 3 with a score of 14-3, the second to Mountain View on April 17 with a score of 15-2, and the third to Palo Alto on April 22 with a score of 17-4.

After these losses, sophomore midfielder Aidan Peck said the team wants to “prove to people that [they] do have a future and that [they] can win.”

Freshman defenseman Jake Beine says at practice, the team runs many drills and scrimmages hard to improve both individually and together. Their coach, Bill Kratz, stresses the importance of conditioning, so they always have to stay in shape.

A new addition to the team, Yun pointed out that the team’s youth has made winning tough.

“I was captain of the JV team last year, and coming from that role straight to varsity where I had to act as a leader to my teammates who were mostly new, it was tough,” Yun said. “It has been difficult because we got a lot of new players. It is like a training season.”

Still, the team has not given up.

Beine said each player on the team is always giving their his allr in practice and games in order to try and improve its record. He says their coach has been teaching the players well and giving them the best chance to succeed.

“It has been pretty tough because we haven’t gotten many wins, but we are still putting in a lot of work and effort,” Yun said. “As a team, we know we just got to keep putting in work and it will pay off.”

The lacrosse team played Gunn on April 24, Los Gatos on May 1, and Leland May 6, which could not be covered because of printing deadlines. Today, the team will play Los Altos.