By Cati Stoehr and Amanda Roman
The Eastside Rams girls lacrosse team struggled to overcome the pressure that the Santa Fe Raiders brought to the field on Feb. 23, losing 18-0.
The Raiders have had a decent start to the season with a 3-3 record. The Rams, however, have yet to win a game with a 0-4 record.
Game Difficulties
Beginning at the first face-off, the Rams lacked the energy needed to take on the Raiders.
Within the first 16 seconds of the game, the Rams were scored on. This pattern of consecutive goals by the Raiders continued throughout the game.
The Rams also had trouble connecting their passes in the defense, which enabled the Raiders to charge the goal.
The Rams’ Potential Showing
Some efforts were made by Eastside to charge at the goal. Hope Armstrong played with intensity throughout the game, creating some opportunities for the Rams at the goal.
The Rams played more offensively in the second quarter with #18 Hope Armstrong making plays and navigating through the Raiders’ defense.
#9 Prithika Bose also played strongly.
The Rams still are falling short defensively, and are now down, 13-0, versus the Raiders. pic.twitter.com/KKMXsei9bZ
— Mandy Roman (@mandy_romannn) February 23, 2024
Alayna Ciulla and Tara Guatam showed off their offensive skills and came close to racking up points for the Rams in the fourth quarter.
Although the Raiders maintained possession for the majority of the game, the Rams were able to hold them off in the fourth quarter by not allowing them to score any points.
The Eastside Rams are down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter against the Santa Fe Raiders.
Some offensive plays were made by #4 Alayna Ciulla and #7 Tara Guatam, but none were successful.#GirlsLacrosse#EastsideRams #SantaFeRaiders pic.twitter.com/LmcWXR6Pi1
— Mandy Roman (@mandy_romannn) February 23, 2024
The Rams’ Potential Showing
Despite the Rams suffering this loss, the team maintained positive camaraderie and demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship. Regardless of the scoreboard, their positive attitudes shined through during this game and emphasized their true love for the game.
Big offensive plays were made by #34 Lauryn Littles, #4 Alayna Ciulla and #7 Tara Guatam.
Each had an opportunity at the net with penalty shots and came close to scoring.
The Raiders did not score any points in the 4th quarter.#EastsideRams #SantaFeRaiders #GirlsLacrosse pic.twitter.com/I8gYpnDkQn
— Mandy Roman (@mandy_romannn) February 24, 2024
Up Next
The Rams came close to beating the Newberry Panthers on Tuesday, losing 7-6.