Momentum can be the key to success in any season marked by a low number of games and little room for error. The team with the most momentum is likely at an advantage, making every game an important confidence builder and opportunity for improvement. With this in mind, the boys lacrosse team got off to a hot start with back-to-back victories over Edison and McLean on March 13 and 14.

“Even though it’s early in the season, these wins are huge for our confidence,” senior Ryan Miller said. “It’s always good to build momentum from the start of the season.”

“The wins were a good confidence booster for the team and it is always good to start the season off with a win,” junior Joe Bermingham said.

The team began its season with a 14-2 victory over Edison, only to handily defeat McLean 11-5 the following night. Miller and fellow senior Alec Villafana combined for eight goals in the first contest, and Miller added an additional five against McLean.

“I thought the team played very well in the first two games. We had several young guys step up and fill some of the spots at midfield, which really helped,” Miller said. “I thought our team played with great poise and confidence. Our defense played with discipline and we were able to possess the ball well on offense without forcing anything too much.”

“I was pleased with the effort on ground balls,” Head Coach Bill Maglisceau said. “That’s always a big part of the game that kids sometimes neglect and it looks like the kids were taking it seriously.”

Maglisceau also noted the team’s communication as a positive aspect of its play in the first two games.

“We did a decent job of communicating, talking to each other, calming each other down,” he said. “We did a good job of finding guys.”

Still, Maglisceau was not completely satisfied with the team’s performance.

“The big thing is stick skills,” he said. “We’ve got kids who can’t catch and throw with their off-hand, which is unacceptable.

Using its solid start to the season as a source of momentum, the team took on O’Connell last night in a game that ended too late to be covered in this issue. The contest began a three-game home stretch that will feature the team’s first two district match-ups, which will be held against West Springfield on March 26 and against West Potomac on March 28.

“The next three games are really important and a good test playing some high-quality teams,” Bermingham said prior to taking on O’Connell.

“The O’Connell game is huge because any time you can hang with a private school, that’s big,” Maglisceau said before the contest.

Maglisceau also cited the games against West Springfield and West Potomac as possible indicators of the team’s success this season, in theory deciding whether the Atoms will be threat for the district title or a middle-of-the-pack finisher.

Similarly, Miller pointed to the contests as crucial to the team’s success and possible sources of momentum as the team progresses into the latter half of its season.

“Obviously, any district match-ups are very important because of their playoff implications, but it will really help if we are successful at home so we can get the fans excited for us,” Miller said.

Both games are especially important because of the ease with which the Atoms recorded their first two wins, merely coasting to victory rather than being challenged late in the game.

“If a team takes it to us, I’m curious to see if we’ve got any fight in us,” Maglisceau said. “We’re optimistic, we’ve just got to keep getting the ground balls and go from there.”