In 1995 Van Morrison released the song “Days Like This”:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLAseDl9umw Anyone who has played a team sport knows the feeling.  It happens to everyone. You go into a game hoping to win instead of expecting to win.  The game begins and nothing you do goes right.  In lacrosse that means losing faceoffs, clearing mistakes after a defensive stand, reaching with the stick instead of moving your feet and not communicating among other things. And if the early going isn’t favorable it starts to snowball downhill. Fast. Oxbridge experienced it last night. Saint Andrew’s jumped out early and often and when Oxbridge finally picked itself off the ground it was too late to do anything about it. There’s no easy way to put it.  Statistically, even if you include the 4th quarter it was a big differential.  SA fired 36 first-half shots, 18 on target not including posts hit, and 13 in the goal.  7 turnovers all game, three in the last 3 quarters.  Time of possession was lopsided. Oxbridge is not this bad.  They came in on a ten-game winning streak. Let’s hope the kids learn the true lessons of last night. It’s just one game. But the next step is mental.  Toughness is a major part of that.  It’s time to let it out.  Playing to win is very different from playing not to lose.     Not to say SA didn’t have a lot to do with this.  The tone was set in the first quarter as Alex Newhouse won 7 of 8 faceoffs and SA scored three times in the first two minutes en route to a 6-1 first quarter.  He then went 6-2 in the second and SA scored 7 more goals to make it 13-1 at the half. Game over. Two hat tricks and four others scoring twice.  The balance that SA has sought for later in the season is in full force right now. Making Saturday night must see lacrosse in Boca as Jupiter comes to town for the trip to Bradenton. 7:00pm. It’ll be worth it.       The scoring summary:   1st Quarter 10:55 – SA – Alex Heatzig opens the scoring on a solo effort off a turnover, going down the right, behind the net and curling out the left side 10:38 – SA – Nick Diamond finding Sam Baker all alone on the left crease 10:00 – SA – on EMO, 4-man passing play finding Brian Fox on the right wing, from Peter Dykas 8:38 – SA – Nick Iznaga stepping down from the top right wing 5:53 – SA – Dykas curling from behind the left side 0:51 – OX -Tyler Jerd taking a low right wing pass from Bobby Kilian on the top right wing 0:20 – SA – Fox finding Iznaga from up top on the left wing       2nd Quarter 9:40 – SA – Davis Diamond finding Fox cutting to the crease from left behind 9:22 – SA – Baker curling from the left side of the net 7:40 – SA – Baker curling from behind the right side of the net 5:08 – SA – D. Diamond on the left crease from Brandt Guldin on the left wing 2:32 – SA – D. Diamond cutting in from the right wing to the middle 2:19 – SA – Guldin dodging from the left wing to the middle 0:11 – SA – Guldin unassisted from the left wing, face dodging to the left crease   3rd Quarter 10:19 – SA – on EMO, Nick Diamond in the middle from Brian Fox’s top right wing feed 3:31 – SA – Iznaga moving out from behind then edging in from right GLE to the crease 0:30 – Dykas on the left wing from Baker’s top left pass       4th Quarter 10:45 – OX – Robert Bayless on the left wing from Zach Ranta’s right wing cross-field pass 2:33 – OX – Riley Smith curl from behind the left side 1:21 – OX – Ranta’s right alley dodge finds Jerry Annunziata in the middle   Both teams played their back-up goalies in the second half.   For Oxbridge senior Brandon Barrett, good luck in college and in your future endeavors . . . For the returning players a tough ending.  A long summer.  And a reminder that the last step is the steepest, and the one that most comes from within.   Game Statistics   Faceoffs:  SA 15-8 Shots:  SA 51 – OA 21 Shots on Goal:  SA 29 – OA 10 Turnovers:  SA 7 – OA 19 Penalties:  SA 2 – OA 6   Individual Statistics   SA Sam Baker  3G/1A Nick Iznaga  3G Brian Fox  2G/2A Peter Dykas, Davis Diamond and Brant Guldin  2G/1A each Nick Diamond  1G/1A Alex Heatzig  1G   OA Tyler Jerd, Robert Bayless, Riley Smith and Jerry Annunziata  1G each Zach Ranta  2A Bobby Kilian  1A   SA goalies Harris Feldman and Andrew Busel combined for 6 saves and OA goalies Ethan Randell and Hunter Diamond combined for 13 saves   Thanks to Coach Seaman and Coach Ross for talking to me at the game.