By David Kolin

In a nail-biting showdown against rival Loyola, the lacrosse team went into triple overtime and prevailed over the Cubs 8-7. The previous face-off with Loyola at home had a very different ending (the Wolverines routed the Cubs 17-4). After Thursday’s win, the team held an 11-0 overall record and a 7-0 league record.

Palisades, the team the Wolverines will play this Friday, will prove to be an even tougher match than Loyola, players said. However, the Wolverines won last year’s game 3-2.

In the team’s last game against Chaminade, Cory Wizenberg ’11 set a school record for most points, combined number of goals and assists. in one game. Wizenberg scored three goals and dished out eight assists.

Attackman Will Oliver ’11 attributes his team’s success to strength throughout the lineup.

“We have a lot of different threats which makes us all more dangerous because [our opponents] can’t guard all of us,” Oliver said.

The offense is where the team shines through. Over the course of the season, the Wolverines have put up no fewer than eight points per game.

“Our team’s strength is definitely our offense,” Mantel said. “We have a lot of talent on that end of the field, and we are able to put up solid numbers on the scoreboard. We have forced a lot of turnovers so far in our games. It gives our defense more time to rest, and it allows us to have another opportunity to score.”

However, the team needs to focus on the defensive end of the field in order to hold off their opponent’s offense.

“We have to focus on our communication skills on defense as well as our clearing and transitiongame,” Mantel said.

Of the 11 games the lacrosse team has played during this season, seven of them have concluded with the Wolverines leading by at least six goals.

The team’s closest games so far this season have been the rematch with rival Loyola and the team’s game against Agoura High School. The Wolverines won 8-6 against Agoura.

The team’s biggest win this season was over Crespi, 23-4. During that game, Crespi had difficulty defending against the Wolverine offense and struggled to maintain possession of the ball.

The Wolverines managed to keep Crespi scoreless until the half. However, Crespi soon began to rally back by scoring a couple of goals at the beginning of the second half.

According to maxpreps.com, the Wolverines are currently ranked seventh in the southern section of California and 22nd in the state.

The team finishes its regular season this week against Palisades.