Boys Lacrosse: Cougars Drop Second District Game

Though the Oakton High boys lacrosse team kept their Concorde District battle with Chantilly close through the first half, the Cougars saw their lead slep away in the second to give the Chargers a 10-8 victory Friday.

"We lost to a good, well-coached team," Coach Grif Barhight said. "They've only lost one district game in the last four years."

The first quarter ended with the game tied, with goals from Sean Schweiker and Jack Harris on an assist from Schweiker. Harris, who scored a team-high four goals, also scored in the second quarter, this time with an assist from Evan Lalande. The Chargers again tied the game with about three minutes left in the half. 

Lalande shifted the momentun to the Cougars' favor with a goal about a minute later to give the Cougars a 4-3 heading into halftime. 

About 10 seconds into the second half, the Cougars knocked in a goal from Pat Goulding on an assist from Matt Dunwoody. 

But the Chargers pulled away as they went on a 5-1 scoring spree in the third quarter. Harris interrupted the spree with about four minutes left, but the Chargers ended the quarter up 8-6. 

The Chargers held tight to the lead, adding two more goals before the Cougars could score again. The game ended with another goal from Harris, assisted by Schweiker, and a hard-fought unassisted goal from Lalande with about 90 seconds left in the game. 

When the Cougars did score, it was often through quick runs down the field.

"[The Chargers] did a great job of possessing the ball, so we tried to create opportunities through transition as much as we could," Barhight said.

Unable to mount a comeback, the Cougars lost to the Chargers 10-8 for their second Concorde District loss. 

"They won the ground ball battle in the second half, for sure, and they did a nice job of finding the backside of their offense," Barhight said.

The Cougars, with a 1-2 record in district play, will host Herndon at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.