The Falls Church High School boys varsity lacrosse team continues their impressive turnaround from last season, improving their season mark to 7-0 just one year removed from a one-win season.
On Tuesday night, the Jaguars edged Centreville, 7-6, to put themselves squarely into the spotlight as an emerging power in the regional lacrosse picture.
Uthid Nanthavong, John Simmons and Nick Engquist each scored two goals, while Freddy Flores added the other for the Jaguars. Paul Cossack made 18 saves in goal for Falls Church.
Last season, the Jaguars endured a 12-6 thrashing at the hands of Centreville, just one of 11 total defeats over the course of a year devoted to learning the game.
“Last year we made the decision to bring up a lot of players that never really played the game before,” Falls Church Head Coach Geoffrey Young said. “Now, 90-percent of them made the commitment to play year-round and when they came back this year, all the basics were covered.
“It's huge,” Young says of the difference between this year and last. “It's not even a comparison.”
Already this season the Jaguars have bested Marshall (11-5), Stone Bridge (13-12) and Mt. Vernon (11-9). The latter school eliminated the Jaguars in the first round of the National District Tournament last season. This year, it seems as though Falls Church will figure among the favorites.
“We're winning the ground ball war in every game,” Young said. “We just have to continue the way we've been playing. These guys have been really dedicated and they want to be successful.”
Falls Church next suits up for a road game at Edison on April 18, before returning home to face a highly regarded Westfield team. Both games begin at 7:15 p.m.