MUSKEGON TWP. - In a high-scoring sport like lacrosse, it’s pretty rare to hold your opponent to seven goals - including only one in the second half - and still lose the game.
The Reeths-Puffer lacrosse team managed to do that on Tuesday, but overall that was a pretty good sign for the young and developing Rockets.
R-P showed that it has two of the three necessary ingredients for success - a great goalie and a rapidly improving defense. As soon as the offense catches up, the Rockets could be pretty competitive.
For now they are 0-3 on the season following Tuesday’s 7-4 loss to Grand Haven in an O-K Conference Tier 3 game in very cold weather at Rocket Stadium.
R-P's Owen Greiner (12) battles for position with an opponent.
It was R-P’s second straight close loss, after dropping a one-goal game in the final seconds to Northview on Friday. The two tight losses are a big improvement from the season opener last week, when the Rockets lost to Kenowa Hills 17-5.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” said R-P Coach Josh Robidoux, whose team has eight freshmen and sophomores on the varsity roster. “When all the things click, and we start to do all the little things right, you will see this team be competitive against quality teams and find ways to win these games. When we put it all together we will be a team to look out for.”
One area where the Rockets appear set is in goal, based on the performance of senior Gavin Wright.
He made 15 pretty remarkable saves in the game, including many in the first half when Grand Haven controlled the ball and could have opened a significant lead.
R-P goalie Gavin Wright, who had a great night with 15 saves.
Wright kept making big saves all night, giving his team a chance to win all the way to the end.
“I think he played phenomenal,” Robidoux said about Wright. “He made some awesome saves, including five or six that on a different night might have gone in, and it would have been a different game.”
Robidoux was also very pleased with the R-P defense, which really tightened up after halftime, keeping Grand Haven from scoring until the final minute of the game.
“100 percent they stepped up,” the coach said. “They made a lot more plays, made better decisions and were more settled in. They kept (Grand Haven) to the outside and didn’t allow a ton of easy doorstep goals. That was one of our main focuses coming into the game.”
R-P's Jack Bahorski (9) and Braeden Monette (27) play some defense.
That just leaves the R-P offense, with is still struggling with passing and mounting a sustained attack.
“I wish we were able to get our offense moving a bit more,” Robidoux said. “We just have some extremely young guys in the attack. We need to do a better job of taking care of the ball, being patient and looking for the right shots.
“We had some good looks at the end. We just have to work on our pacing. We had a lot of missed opportunities that would have been great shots. We need to force their goalie to make saves.”
Even with the offense stumbling a bit, the Rockets were in the game from start to finish..
R-P Coach Josh Robidoux directs his players during a time out.
Grand Haven took an early 2-0 lead on a pair of goals by Cam French, then the Rockets answered with a goal by Cohen Beck with 3:24 left in the first quarter, and a goal by Braeden Monette with one tick remaining on the clock.
The Buccaneers had four unanswered goals in the second quarter, by Owen Haaksma, Jake Petterson and two by Andrew Reardon, and led 6-2 at halftime.
The Rockets got very stingy in the second half, however, keeping Grand Haven from building on their lead.
Greiner scored the only goal of the third quarter with 2:43 remaining, leaving the Bucs with a 6-3 lead heading into the fourth.
Beck scored again in the fourth quarter, with 3:50 remaining, to make it a 6-4 game.
R-P's Gabe Feirick (5) and Jack Baharski (9).
The Rockets pressured the Buccaneer goal and had a few more chances, but Grand Haven finally sealed up the victory with a goal by Petterson with 32 seconds left in the game.
Robidoux credited senior Jack Bahorski with playing a great game offensively and defensively, and being a key force in the transition game in the second half, when R-P started to get a few more scoring chances.
“I would say we’re about where I expected us to be right now,” the coach said. “One thing I can’t stress enough is how young a lot of our offensive players are. We have freshmen stepping in against seniors. They will get better with more reps and more time playing together.”
The Rockets will visit East Kentwood on Thursday.