Facing off against the Minnetonka Skippers, the number one rated team in the state, the boys’ varsity lacrosse team played their season opener on Monday, Apr. 13. The number six rated BSM lost the game 10-7. Though they didn’t come out with a win, the team had a strong lead throughout a majority of the game.

The Red Knights came out strong, keeping up with and maintaining an almost constant lead over the Skippers throughout the first half. “We stayed with them throughout the game. Because they are rated number one, it shows we can play with any team in state,” said junior Chase Mlnarik.

BSM gained an early lead with a goal scored by junior Bailey Dodds, his first of four total for the game. “Dodds had a really good showing in this game,” said senior captain Mike Hoff. Minnetonka answered the goal quickly with two goals back to back to make the score 2-1.

BSM regained the lead with four goals, two scored by Dodds, one by junior Ryan Butts and one scored by freshman Christian Horn. Going into the half BSM held a strong 5-3 lead over the Skippers.

The beginning of the second half was where the game went downhill for the Red Knights. Minnetonka scored seven unanswered goals in the quarter giving them a 10-5 lead going into the fourth quarter. “The third quarter really lost the game for us,” said junior Mike Giacomini, “we played really well up to that point. We should have won, but it was still a good game.”

The Red Knights regained their momentum in the fourth quarter, with two goals scored by Dodds and Butts. These were the only goals of the quarter, making the final score of the game 10-7 in favor of the Skippers.

Despite the loss the team feels good about a lot of their performance throughout the game. “Our goalie, [senior] Patrick Gilligan, had an amazing games with a lot of good saves,” said Mlnarik, “we may not have the talent they have, but we played better as a team. Just one rough patch lost us the game.”