The Wakefield Warriors are outperforming expectations in boys lacrosse action, hitting a high-water mark in the team’s final pre-spring-break contest.
The rescheduled Liberty District high-school game was against the host Marshall Statesmen on a rainy Friday night the weekend before spring break.
With the Warriors missing some key players because of spring-break and college-visitation commitments, plus the poor weather and playing on the road, players and coaches anticipated a rough night.
Instead, with backup junior-varsity goalie Jordi Umana Benavides in net, Wakefield held on to win, 8-6.
The victory snapped a three-match losing streak, improving the Warriors’ overall record to 5-3 — the best start in program history.
“That Marshall win was big for us and the guys deserve so much credit for being determined in that game,” Wakefield coach Antonio Francis told ARLnow. “Everything was going against us and we still won.”
Sol Gonzalez, Nico Combs and Sammy Rodriguez were top goal-scorers in the win. Shane Morrison was another key player, playing 45 minutes.
“Shane never really got a break,” Francis said.
Wakefield won its first four matches over Lewis, 13-3, Mount Vernon, 11-12, Justice 11-5, and Jackson-Reed, 15-13.
A 14-13 loss to Trinity at Meadow View and an 8-3 setback to strong defensive Alexandria City team were two other matches Francis said the Warriors played.
The five wins match last season’s total. Seven victories are the most in program history.
“We have some tough games ahead, but we have proved we can compete with good teams,” said Francis, in his seventh season as Wakefield’s head coach. “This is a good group and they are doing the work. A lot of them have played together since the eighth grade.”
Wakefield’s roster includes 19 seniors including top performers Max Thompson, Chris Queen and Sam Firster.
Two of Wakefield’s remaining matches are against Arlington rivals Washington-Liberty and Yorktown. The Warriors have not defeated either in program history.
“We have a lot of chances to compete and be competitive,” Francis said.
