Boys lacrosse added to its winning record throughout April and early May, defeating teams in all nine of its games as of May 2.  Despite the loss of junior captain Cameron Moshyedi to a broken arm, the Bulldogs have been able to outplay their opponents with strong offensive efforts and solid defensive strategies that continue to put them in the winner’s circle.

The team continued its winning streak with a 12-10 victory over Walter Johnson May 4, improving its record to 11-2. Sophomore and current leading scorer Matt Leonard (43 goals) led the offense with five goals and one assist on the night. Seniors Georges Hermes and Francis Ford each added three goals.

“We were able to win with solid defense the whole game,” Ford said. “Our offense was patient enough and ended up getting a lot of scoring chances and 12 solid goals.”

CHS defeated Damascus 13-6 May 2. The Bulldogs got off to a good start with two unassisted goals by Leonard, followed by a goal from junior Spencer Ralph. The Hornets responded with four goals of their own, but goals from Ford and sophomore Morgan Rhodes gave the Bulldogs a 5-4 lead going into second half.

Leonard, Ford and Rhodes each scored shortly after the start of the third quarter. Goals from freshman Matt Moshyedi and Hermes solidified the CHS victory as the Bulldogs controlled the ball throughout the fourth quarter. Junior goalie Josh Preuss had an impressive game with 10 saves.  

 “After tough losses to Sherwood and Wootton, we worked really hard at practice hoping to improve both the defensive and offensive parts of the game we struggled with,” Leonard said.

The Bulldogs beat Seneca Valley 19-13 April 29. Hermes’ three first-quarter goals sparked the offense, leading to goals by 11 different players. Leonard had two goals and a season-high of six assists in the game against the Screaming Eagles. Senior Bradley Grossman and Ford, Rhodes and Matt Moshyedi all added two goals.

“The team needs to keep putting out the effort every day until we reach the top,” Ford said.
CHS topped Poolesville 15-6 April 27. The defense was led by senior Andreas Constantinou and junior Tyler Wooster, as the Bulldogs became one of the few teams able to hold the normally high-scoring Falcons to single digits. Ralph consistently won the face-offs that led to offensive domination for CHS. Ralph and Ford each scored three, while Leonard, Grossman and junior Joe Byrne all scored twice.

In a tournament at Clarksburg April 20, the Bulldogs defeated the Coyotes 8-2. Leonard and Ralph both scored two goals, while Byrne and Rhodes each added one goal. CHS also beat Northwest 12-3 later that day. Goals came from eight different players including senior Bharat Bhatia and junior Ben Hollander. 

Another Bulldog victory came in a crushing 9-1 defeat of Gaithersburg April 13. In what was perhaps its best game of the season, the team held possession for most of the game as the CHS defense gave the Trojans almost zero scoring opportunities. CHS consistently pressured Gaithersburg in its defensive zone and peppered senior Trojan goalie Alex Hrycak with 36 shots. 

“Communication is very key to a good defense,” Wooster said. “We are always letting each other know what we should be doing and we do it.”

The previous four victories for CHS came with less suspense, as the Bulldogs defeated every team by a margin of at least six goals. They held three of their opponents to three goals or fewer. In its first match against Northwest April 11, the team defeated the Jaguars 17-9, again with goals from eight different players.

CHS beat Richard Montgomery 11-9 April 6 in one of its closest games of the season. The Bulldogs got off to a great start, earning an early lead with goals by Leonard and Rhodes. Despite strong defensive play by Wooster and junior Ryan Tubbs, the Rockets tied the game 4-4 late in the second quarter, leaving the two teams even going into the second half.

The Rockets scored at the start of the second half putting RM up 5-4, but Ralph quickly tied the score again with a goal. CHS dominated in the offensive zone for most of the remaining minutes. Although three late goals by RM pushed the Rockets closer to victory, the Bulldogs were able to hang on to an 11-9 win.

Going into the playoffs, the Bulldogs hope to continue with their offensive success and maintain a strong defensive unit as they prepare to face more difficult challenges in the post-season. 

 “We have very high expectations when it comes playoff time,” Leonard said. “Our goal never changes [and that] is to win a state championship.”

“Our team has been really successful on the offensive end this season because we have really good chemistry with each other and know where everyone will be on the field,” Leonard said.

Another Bulldog victory came in a crushing 9-1 defeat of Gaithersburg April 13. In what was perhaps its best game of the season, the team held possession for most of the game as the CHS defense gave the Trojans almost zero scoring opportunities. CHS consistently pressured Gaithersburg in its defensive zone and peppered senior Trojan goalie Alex Hrycak with 36 shots. Sophomore goalie Peter Hurd let in only one goal on 12 shots in a well-played victory.

“Communication is very key to a good defense,” Wooster said. “We are always letting each other know what we should be doing and we do it.”

The previous four victories for CHS came with less suspense, as the Bulldogs defeated every team by a margin of at least six goals. They held three of their opponents to three goals or fewer.In its first match against Northwest April 11, the team defeated the Jaguars 17-9, again with goals from eight different players. Leonard tallied four goals and four assists in the game. Grossman also added to the scoreboard with four goals, along with Rhodes, Byrne and junior Jake Feingersh, who each scored two.

CHS beat Richard Montgomery 11-9 April 6 in one of its closest games of the season. The Bulldogs got off to a great start, earning an early lead with goals by Leonard and Rhodes. Despite strong defensive play by Wooster and junior Ryan Tubbs, the Rockets tied the game 4-4 late in the second quarter, leaving the two teams even going into the second half.

“We have come out very strong and ready to play each game and knowing that at the end of the game, we will be the team with more points on the board,” Wooster said.

The Rockets scored at the start of the second half, putting RM up 5-4, but Ralph quickly tied the score again with a goal. CHS dominated in the offensive zone for most of the remaining minutes.

Although three late goals by RM pushed the Rockets closer to victory, the Bulldogs were able to hang on to an 11-9 win. Hurd played an outstanding game with 13 saves, while Leonard and Rhodes led the offense with three goals each. Grossman added two goals and two assists. Hermes, Matt Moshyedi and Ralph  each scored one goal.

Going into the playoffs, the Bulldogs hope to continue with their offensive success and maintain a strong defensive unit as they prepare to face more difficult challenges in the post-season.

“We have very high expectations when it comes playoff time,” Leonard said. “Our goal never changes [and that] is to win a state championship.”