IRVINE-On Monday, April 4, the Beckman Patriots Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Team experienced a defeat against the Corona del Mar Sea Kings 1-13. As Corona Del Mar pit a powerful defense against the Patriots, the Beckman offense fell apart as the game progresesd. The Sea Kings gradually chipped away at Beckman and the Patriots caved in the end. 

    As the first quarter began, both the Patriots and the Sea Kings appeared to have strong and organized plays in offense. No goals had been made for the entire span of the quarter until the Sea Kings finally took a successful, powerful shot at the end of the quarter 0-1. With the first shot in, the Sea Kings began to attack much more forcefully in the second quarter. The Patriots busily maneuvered to block a few impressive shots in the beginning of the quarter, but as the game continued, the Sea Kings took the net incessantly 0-6. When the Patriots succeeded in shaking the net at last; however, time elapsed and the goal was not counted into the score. The consecutive goals by the Sea Kings debilitated Beckman’s energy and in noticing this, Coach Sampson and Dilonardo encouraged the Patriots during halftime. Head Coach Daniel Sampson commented, “It showed a lot of improvement in defense. As Coach Sampson’s words of comfort and encouragement helped the Patriots recover, the crowd hoped for better plays in the remaining time.

    The third quarter displayed a re-energized Patriot defense. Following the coaching staff's advice, Beckman severely limited Corona Del Mar. Unfortunately, the Sea Kings scored three times before the end of the quarter and the Patriot crowd felt a large tension as time began to run out. Junior Connor Thornton took home a well-earned goal as the clock was winding down in the fourth quarter to put up a digit on the Patriot's half of the scoreboard. 

    After the game, the Patriots on the team expressed lingering regret, knowing that they could have played better. Freshman Tanner Culley remarked, “[We need to] Probably working on the clears, looking for the open man and running for offense.” When Coach Sampson and Dilonardo spotted frustrated looks on the players, he comforted the team after the game. Coach Sampson added, “Having one goal against fourth place in state is not that upsetting. We got fatigued with not enough players.” The Patriots, however, could not immediately shed their looks of disappointment. Junior Nick Liekhus commented, “I think we could have done better.” Their regrets from losing could not be settled down until the Patriots decided to put off the revenge against the Sea Kings for later.

     Although the Patriots did not finish the game with outstanding results, they made a promise to themselves for victory in the future. This game’s regrettable loss against the Corona del Mar Sea Kings will become the milestone of motivation for each and every member of the Beckman Patriots Lacrosse Team.