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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Hun Boys' Lax Aims to Sharpen Execution In Order to Expedite Development Process
By Bill Alden
Showing plenty of competitive fire, the Hun School boys' lacrosse team didn't let a chilly rain keep it from overcoming an early 3-0 deficit last Friday against visiting WW/P-S.
Outscoring the Pirates 5-1 in the second period, Hun took a 5-4 lead into the half. Hun built the lead to 7-4 with 10:33 left in the third quarter.
But unable to mix precision with their passion the Raiders were outscored 6-2 the rest of the way in dropping a 10-9 heartbreaker to the Pirates.
Afterward, Hun head coach Eric Kemp shook his head ruefully as he reflected on the loss. "It was a tight game," said Kemp, whose club dropped to 4-3 on the season with the setback.
"I thought we just didn't quite click today. We dropped passes. I don't think we executed that well. We were a little lackadaisical, part of that is that we're such a young team. It's been a little sloppy in practice lately and that stuff comes back to haunt you."
It was some sharp defense, though, that helped Hun get back into the game after its slow start.
"We switched out of a zone defense and went into a man-to-man," explained Kemp, who got 14 saves from sophomore goalie Trey Geier.
"They move the ball very well, quicker than we could respond. When we switched to man-to-man, we gained some momentum. I think that first goal gave us some confidence. With our style of offense, we were able to get into a flow."
Having sophomore midfielder A.J. Blackburn in the lineup for the first time since he injured his left ankle in preseason helped Hun's offensive flow.
"A.J. played great, considering that he's been out for a month," said Kemp of the elusive sophomore who scored three goals on the afternoon despite playing with a heavily taped ankle.
"He's worked hard everyday in practice even when he hasn't been able to play. He was dead-dog exhausted after the game. He played his heart out."
Kemp also got another fine effort from junior sharpshooter Matt Loy, who fired in four goals in the loss. "Matt played well," said Kemp, who got two goals from Jake Ballarotto and an assist from Colin Rosenblum. "He did get shut off a little bit at the end."
As the season goes on, Kemp expects his team to get shut off much less frequently. "We're a young team," said Kemp, whose club hosts East Brunswick on April 27 and Princeton Day School on April 29 before playing at the Hill School on April 30 and then playing in the state Prep A quarterfinals on May 2.
"I think we've played some tough teams. There is a learning curve with a young team and in that sense we are happy with how things have gone. But we expect more from them as they develop. That's what it's all about."
If the Raiders can learn a valuable lesson from last Friday's game, that could hasten their development process.
