West Bloomfield Lacrosse Rebounds With 14-7 Win Over Liggett

The boys lacrosse team won 14-7 over Grosse Pointe University Liggett School at home Friday night.

After on Thursday, coach Ed Anderson wanted to see his team execute better on both sides of the field. And the Lakers did just that.

“The game plan tonight was to control the ball on offense and play really aggressively defensively; we hadn’t been as aggressive as we needed to be and we focused on those two things,” Anderson said.

West Bloomfield’s offense looked sharp, with Nathan Rabens continuing his MVP-caliber season with five goals and three assists. Zach Lederman also had a big night with five goals and an assist.

The control on offense Anderson was looking for was there throughout the game. He said that the team’s accurate passing helped the players to execute on some key scoring opportunities.

“We had some really nice clears, where you’re going from one end of the field to the other, the guys were looking for each other, hitting the open man and the difference tonight was they were catching the passes,” said Anderson. “That’s what we need to do going forward." 

The Lakers (8-5) also controlled possession of the ball for much of the game, especially in the second half. West Bloomfield made its move in third quarter, extending a three-goal halftime lead to seven with four unanswered goals.

One of the goals had West Bloomfield’s bench jumping up and down: Rabens had the ball behind the net and cut across the field, single-handedly beating four defenders and scoring from right in front the crease.

“That’s a pretty typical game for him this season; he has over 60 goals this season,” Anderson said. “He’s one of the best attackers we play.”

For Liggett, it was another learning experience for a very young team. The squad is starting a first-year goalie and coach Chris Hartley called it a rebuilding year for his team.

The Knights kept things close in the first half, but the 20 minutes scoring draught in the second half put the game out of reach. The team really struggled getting into a rhythm on offense.  

“We could have had better passing, better shot selection, but games like this are going to make us better for next year,” Hartley said. “This one got away from us, but we’re not going to let this one get us down."

But the Knights never quit. They scored two goals in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter and kept on fighting until the end.

“We’ve been done quite a few times this year and we haven’t packed it in,” Hartley said.  “They keep working hard.”

Manny Counsman and James Jurcak were the only two Liggett players to score two goals and Counsman also had an assist.

Liggett returns to the field Tuesday for a 5 p.m. game against Andover/Lahser High School. The Lakers will take on Ann Arbor Skyline High School at home Monday. That game begins at 7 p.m.