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McLean’s boys lacrosse team raced to an overwhelming first-quarter lead Tuesday and defeated Wakefield 18-3, giving its seniors a commanding victory in their final home game.
The Highlanders entered Senior Night seeking a rebound after losing on the road to Washington-Liberty the previous week.
“I’ve been looking forward to my senior night all year,” senior attackman Galder Maull said. “It’ll be sad, but we want to make our last home game of our McLean careers count.”
Seniors Christian McNeill and Michael Babalitis scored within the opening minute, setting the pace for McLean. The advantage reached 6-0 with four and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter, which ended with the Highlanders ahead 11-1.
“We were super amped before the game and came out super hot,” Babalitis said. “So to come out hot and make the most of our last home game was a great feeling.”
McLean’s scoring slowed in the second quarter, but its defense kept Wakefield off the board. Two more Highlanders goals sent the hosts into halftime with a 13-1 lead.
“Even though we didn’t score as many goals as we did in the first quarter, we were still super happy with the first half,” Maull said.
The second half was more competitive, though McLean still held a 5-2 scoring edge. The 18-3 victory improved the Highlanders’ record to 8-5.
“It was a great win and especially cool to win so dominantly on our senior night,” Babalitis said.
McLean next faces Yorktown in a game with implications for the district tournament.
“Despite the big win, we need to remain focused,” Maull said. “If we play like we did today, we can accomplish big things.”