By Roshan Chandrakumar ’17, Contributor

In an OT thriller, the Cincinnati Country Day School’s lacrosse team defeated rival Seven Hills 10-9 and improved their record to 4-0. The game was intense, entertaining, and for a first-time spectator, rather confusing. The rules were somewhat puzzling. However, the passion to win and the back-and-forth nature of the game still made it very fun to watch.

The Indians came out swinging. This game meant a lot to the team and you could tell by how they came out in the opening minutes. Connor Pohl ’18 said “Beating Seven Hills was one of the goals we all had. We haven’t beat them in some years and we would love for the seniors to go out against them on a good note.” Goals by Ian McInturf ’17 and Noah Hess ’18 gave the Indians a quick 2-0 lead. The team looked confident and were playing with a certain swagger in the opening minutes. But Seven Hills stayed calm and settled down. They quickly came back, scoring one goal and then a second and then a third. This occurred many times throughout the back-and-forth game: a quick fury of goals, a lead change, and destroyed momentum.

For a first time viewer, the rules seemed odd at first, but through the game I, along with other fans, picked up some of the rules. There often seemed to be discrepancies in the flags thrown on both ends. Whether it was subpar officiating or unknown rules that no fan knew is yet to be determined. The student section still remained very involved throughout the course of the game. As no student knew if the referee had made the correct call or if they unfairly punished our beloved Indians, we resorted to yelling whenever the parents did, which occurred more often than one might have thought. Despite a general lack of knowledge, one thing that didn’t differ from most sports was that you have to find the netting more than the other team. And every time an Indian put a ball into the net, everyone went crazy. Throughout the game the crowd stayed loud and tried to push on the team to victory.

After goals by McInturf  and Will Brady ’16 as well as another Stinger goal, the teams ended the first half tied at 4. The Stingers opened up a quick lead in the 2^nd half going up by 2 goals in the early minutes and later adding a third with less than six minutes to go in the 3^rd. The team refused to give up. As I talked to many of the players, all of them stressed how important this game was to them and how much a win meant to them. The Indians who had seemingly lost momentum and were sitting back on the defense trying to do some damage control caught a glimpse of hope when Daniel Nesbitt ’18 scored. The game remained stagnant for a little while both teams traded shots. In the 4^th quarter, down by 2, the Indians needed some goals. Once again, Nesbitt put one in the back of the net and the lead was trimmed to 1. Another quick fury helped Seven Hills score twice more and put their lead back to 3. With not much time left in the 4^th quarter, the Indians seemed to be in quite a bit of trouble.

Henry Mayeux ’19 brought the Indians within 2 with less than 3 minutes to go. A minute and a half later, McInturf scored his 3^rd goal by weaving through multiple defenders and hitting a diving shot to bring the Indians within 1. Seconds later he scored another and the game was tied. Later when asked if he felt any pressure to bring the team back, McInturf replied “I felt some pressure but it wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates. They set me up and put me in a position to score.”

The nature of the game, the ability to comeback from a deficit in the matter of seconds, and quickly score multiple goals was what made it so enjoyable. Lacrosse was unlike anything I had watched before and the unpredictability of what was going to happen next made it so much fun. Despite all this, there could still be heartbreak if the Indians lost in sudden death overtime.

The teams once again traded shots on multiple possessions. The pressure grew and anytime the Indians were back on defense the game was almost unbearable to watch. Then with under 2 minutes to go the Indians had the ball. Senior captain Will Brady rifled home a shot and the Indians had won. Down by 3, the team overcame adversity and pulled out one of the biggest wins in recent years. For Brady, this game was more than a win and more than a shining moment for him. “Winning against Seven Hills was a huge step for the program. We lost to them 57-5 over the last three years so this game was really special.” The unselfishness of the team and the drive to see others succeed lent a huge hand in helping the team overcome adversity.

When asked on why the team had experienced their recent success, Kyle Bannerman ’17 answered, “We didn’t graduate any seniors last year so we’re even more of a close-knit group.” McInturf responded “A lot of underclassmen stepped up the last two years and everyone is willing to overcome adversity.” The team is very unselfish and they count on each other to win. For some, the joy the game brought them was almost too much to describe in words. When asked how special the win was Mayeux responded, “It was incredibly special. I cried a little when we won.”