The Grand Junction Tigers Boys lacrosse team, a conjoined team composed of Palisade athletes, earned a victory over Telluride on Saturday, march 7th in overtime with a score of 9-8. Junction posted 9 goals on 32 shots and won 71% of their face offs. The Tigers also collected 26 ground balls. Defensively, they held Telluride to eight goals on 14 shots. The win moves Grand Junction to a great debut to the season and sets them up perfectly to face their next opponent, being Montrose on march 11th.
The game swung back and forth, with Junction up early after a 3-2 first quarter and headed into halftime up 6-3. Momentum flipped after the break as Telluride delivered their strongest stretch of the day, tying up the score in the third quarter. Both sides traded goals in a 2-2 fourth quarter, sending the matchup into overtime tied at 8-8. The extra period only needed one decisive strike, sealing the Tigers 9-8 victory. Senior defensive midfielder Patrick Haynes praised the team for working together to get the victory. “The team worked well on defense, and we found what we needed to improve on and stepped it up” Haynes credited teammate Tristian Brinton, a Senior, who stepped up with several key takeaways that shifted momentum. Those being three groundballs and one assist. Haynes acknowledged heading into the game that the matchup came with extra weight, as they were facing a team ranked just behind them in 4A mountain league the previous season. “It was a really important game for us,” Haynes stated, Despite the challenge, Junction matched that intensity from start to finish, proving they could go toe to toe with one of the league’s top contenders.
