Lacrosse: Team splits pair of matches | Belleville News-Democrat

The OTHS boys lacrosse team got a taste of both worlds to end their first full week of competition.

After blitzing Priory in their first game of the 2015 campaign, the Panthers faced Division A power DeSmet on Saturday followed by a face-off against Division B opponent Ft. Zumwalt. The Panthers emerged from the two games with a 2-1 overall mark, losing to DeSmet 12-1 and winning over Ft. Zumwalt 10-1.

O’Fallon hosted DeSmet on March 18, and, still riding the crest of their lop-sided season-opening victory, struck first against the St. Louis power when Jacob Harkins banged in the first goal of the game in a man up opportunity. The 1-0 OTHS lead did not hold up long, however, as DeSmet countered with two goals before the end of the period.

Still very much in contention, the Panthers battled DeSmet on fairly equal terms through the first several minutes of the second stanza, but the visitors began to exert increasing pressure on the OTHS defense, which finally cracked, giving up two more goals before the quarter break.

In the second half, DeSmet’s depth and continuous aggressive play began to take its toll on the OTHS defenders. Several sustained possessions resulted in scoring opportunities on which DeSmet capitalized, expanding its lead to 9-1 by the end of the third period before eventually winning the game 12-1.

The Panthers didn’t waste much time licking their wounds as they hosted Ft. Zumwalt this past Saturday and turned in a repeat of their team effort against Priory—scoring early and often while putting up a solid and effective defensive effort. Goalkeeper Robert Ates allowed only one Ft. Zumwalt goal in the second period. A 3-0 O’Fallon lead after the first period of play increased to 4-1 at halftime and ballooned to 10-1 when the horn sounded ending the game. Five OTHS players scored goals for the Panthers.

After a home game this week against Lafayette, the Panthers will head out on an extended road trip with three games this weekend.