After trailing most of the match, Rockhurst lacrosse furiously rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Mary Institute and Country Day School (MICDS) 13-8 on April 19 in St. Louis. The win continues their roughly two-year undefeated streak against Missouri opponents. The last team from the state to beat the Hawklets? MICDS. This was the first opportunity for Rockhurst to avenge that loss.
Rockhurst players came into this game hungry, because, within the sport, MICDS is seen as the powerhouse in Missouri. The Rams have the ability to compete in state championship games rather than just city championships. For this reason, many Rockhurst players were calling this game the state championship.
“I would say this is the state championship game, because we are the best team in Kansas City, and they are the best team in St. Louis, and unfortunately, we don’t have that at the end of the year,” senior attack Luke McNamara said.
The game started off slow for both teams as they missed multiple shots. However, MICDS got on the board first with a short goal right on the crease. Rockhurst quickly responded as sophomore FOGO (face-off get-off) Gentry Curtis won the face-off and took it down field to score.
After a Rockhurst penalty that put them a man down, senior attack Teddy Brewster managed to score a short-handed goal. However, MICDS was able to tack on two more goals, making the score 3-2 Rams.
MICDS controlled most of the second quarter, keeping the ball in their possession and ultimately scoring two more goals. However, senior Ohio State commit Jack Bichelmeyer was left open, which allowed him to paint the top left corner. His shot even put a hole in the net.
Senior University of Denver commit Colin Komenda added a tally of his own in the final minutes of the half, pushing Rockhurst into the break with momentum, but still trailing 5-4.
The second half started in Rockhurst’s favor, as Bichelmeyer scored in the first minute. However, things slowed down as MICDS was able to capitalize on turnovers and score two more goals. Then, McNamara, fresh off becoming the all-time leading scorer in the state earlier in the week and having been held in check all day, scored his first goal of the match on a side-arm shot. MICDS was able to score one more time before the quarter break, making it 8-6 after three.
That’s when the game completely changed.
Rockhurst would go on a massive run to start the fourth. Bichelmeyer started the offense with a goal from the top of the key. Next, Komenda dodged down the right side before rolling back inside to get the ball in his dominant left hand and scored a low-to-high goal. He followed this up with another goal the next possession, giving Rockhurst the lead. Then, Bichelmeyer found senior attack Reid Moshier for a behind-the-back goal. Rockhurst’s offense did not lose possession of the ball during this four-goal stretch that put them in front 10-8.
Over the final nine minutes of the match, Bichelmeyer would add his fourth and fifth goals of the game, and McNamara would score one more, making the final score 13-8 Rockhurst.
While Bichelmeyer provided the offensive fireworks, scoring or assisting on eight of the team’s goals, Curtis provided the necessary possessions for the Hawklets’ comeback win. He only lost three face-offs the entire match. He’s the number one FOGO in the state, holding a 76.7% win rate.
“I was able to perform so well by staying calm throughout the game. Sticking to our game plan and making the right plays the entire game is what allowed me to play as well as I did,” Curtis said. “I tried to keep things simple and trust our offense to take care of the ball once I got them it.”
He was awarded the Midwest Player of the Week by USA Lacrosse Magazine for his efforts.
“It feels good to know that my performance was recognized outside of the people who watched the game,” Curtis said.
McNamara even credited Curtis for the fourth quarter comeback.
“We really just started to click as a team then, and Gentry was winning every single face-off for us,” said McNamara.
Rockhurst now holds a 13-2 record, with their only two losses coming against nationally-ranked east coast schools. The Hawklets have a gap in their schedule now, with their next game on May 1 against Olathe East. Then, another layoff before starting the LAKC playoffs on May 14.
“We have a long time til the playoffs so we got to keep up the intensity in practice and continue to strive to get better every day,” said McNamara.
