The Reeths-Puffer lacrosse team got off to a rough start to its season with a pair of losses over the weekend, but the Rockets saw some improvement from the first game to the second.
R-P lost its season opener to Zeeland East 17-2 on Friday.
The trouble began in the first half, when the Rockets were outscored 8-0 in the first quarter, 3-0 in the second and trailed 11-0 at halftime.
Garrison Niklasch finally got R-P on the scoreboard with a goal in the third quarter, but the Rockets trailed 14-1 headed into the fourth.
Cohen Beck
Rohan Moyer scored R-P’s final goal down the stretch.
“Zeeland was a very solid team on every side of the ball, and they had our number from the jump,” said R-P head coach Josh Robidoux. “Their first quarter was flawless in terms of shooting and passing, and that made things incredibly difficult for us.”
The Rockets were more competitive on Saturday, falling to West Ottawa 12-5.
The beginning of the game was again a trouble spot for the Rockets, who fell behind 5-0 after one quarter.
The two teams played to a 3-3 draw in the second quarter and West Ottawa led 8-3 at halftime. Hunter Adams, Moyer and Cohen Beck scored for Reeths-Puffer while Beck and Zach Kuerth had assists.
Rohan Moyer
The Rockets held the Panthers scoreless in the third quarter, got a goal from Beck, and trailed 8-4 heading into the fourth.
West Ottawa pulled away by scoring four straight goals in the final quarter. Moyer scored R-P’s lone goal, with an assist from Beck.
“Things were definitely much improved this game, but we still have to coach up our guys to identify opportunities and seize them and clean up the mistakes where we're giving the other team those golden opportunities early in the game,” Robidoux said.
“We were too passive in a lot of our early possessions, and had a difficult time clearing the ball from defense to offense. Once we were capitalizing on the fast break and moving the ball better, the offense showed glimpses of the kinds of looks we're hoping to generate.”
The Rockets will visit Grand Rapids Northview on Tuesday and Grand Haven on Thursday.