Boys Lacrosse: Cougars Earn Spot in Concorde Championship

For the first time since 2007, the Oakton High boys lacrosse team defeated Chantilly on Tuesday. The 14-6 rout sends the Cougars to the Concorde District Championship. 

The Cougars jumped ahead 4-1 within the first two minutes of the game. The Chargers narrowed the score to 5-3 in the first half, but ultimately fell short of a comeback. At halftime, the score stood at 6-3.

In the second half, the Cougars kept piling on the goals while holding the Chargers to three goals for a 14-6 final score. Cougar goalkeeper Connor Anderson had 14 saves in the game.

"Connor played amazing. He played up to the potential I've known he's able to play," Coach Grif Barhight said. "He had six saves in the first quarter that were really good, solid shots and he was stopping everything."

The first time the Cougars and the Chargers faced off this season, the .

"Essentially all the games up until the first round of the district tournament are like preseason games, all to get ready for the tournaments," Barhight said. "The boys have upped their game, upped their intensity level. Practice has been faster. It's a good change now that we're in postseason."

Jack Harris led the team with five goals, and Evan Lalande earned the game ball with four goals and three assists. Michael Durst added two goals, and Sean Schweiker, Brian Oliver and Stephen Lambrides each netted one. Schweiker also tallied three assists, while Lambrides notched two and Oliver had one.

"Schweiker was also the creator of all our offense, as always, and Durst had an excellent game on defense to hold back their very good player Cole Fitzgerald," Barhight said. "When they play as a team, they're much more dangerous than they are as individuals, and they had a good game as a team tonight."

The Cougars will face Westfield in the Concorde District Championship at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Chantilly High School. Earlier in the season, the Bulldogs defeated the Cougars 11-8. 

The Cougars have already earned a berth in the Northern Region Tournament, so a loss Friday would not end their season, but Barhight does not want that fact to diminish the importance of winning the district title.

"It's a big deal. Our boys haven't won a district tournament in a few years now," Barhight said. "It's one of our goals and a step in the right direction, so we're looking forward to a good game."