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Cedar Crest boys lacrosse looks to regroup after opener


The Falcons received two goals apiece from seniors Stevie Roda and Mike Weaver

Twelve months had passed and the surrounding winds were nearing Gale force, but the opening act of the Cedar Crest boys lacrosse season still looked much the same.

There was Governor Mifflin seated on the opposite bench, a tight start unfolding on the field and then a final score that will leave most Falcons referencing Monday as some form of learning experience.

For the second straight year, Cedar Crest suffered a double-digit loss to the Mustangs in its season debut, the latest a 17-6 home defeat on a blustery night at Earl Boltz Stadium. Trailing by one halfway through the first quarter, the Falcons were held scoreless for the next 26:03, while Governor Mifflin (2-0) netted eight straight goals. Cedar Crest seniors Stevie Roda and Mike Weaver finished with two scores apiece, while Mitchell Tice fired off three assists.

The plan for every Falcon now, however, is a return to the drawing board.

"It wasn't the start we hoped for or wanted," Cedar Crest coach Craig Kemmlein said. "We were hoping to set the tone for the season tonight coming back at Mifflin. We felt we had a good offseason preparing, and it just wasn't the start we wanted."

Unassisted goals by Mustang midfielders Aaron Grill and Blake Spatz vaulted Governor Mifflin to an immediate 2-0 lead, and later it was that same duo combining for scores that helped put the Falcons away. But before they teamed up, Cedar Crest converted multiple faceoff wins into a pair of goals, the first supplied by Hunter Craig on a feed from John Lux and the other a Weaver-Tice connection.

The second score drew a respectable 3-2 deficit, which quickly multiplied heading into the second quarter as the Mustangs turned the tide at the faceoff dot. Fueled by continuous possession, the Berks County visitors eventually rang up a seven-goal lead at halftime and then coasted through the infancy of the third quarter.

"At times we put our head down. We just needed to regroup and get back into it," Kemmlein said. "It is tough when you get down that far, but we should've made some saves, some better defensive plays and better offensive plays."

Roda at last ended the Falcons' offensive drought with his first goal at the 3:28 mark of the third, which yielded an 11-3 margin. And the senior's absence in the scorebook to that point was no doubt tied to Cedar Crest's larger struggles given its plans for him and Weaver this season.

"They shut off Stevie for tonight," Kemmlein said. "And we're expecting him to be the main set of our offense."

The Falcons return to the field Thursday at Warwick for 4 p.m. section showdown.