Vancouver Warriors trail early and can’t recover, lose 13-10 to the Toronto Rock

JEN FIELD/GATG

After a double-header sweep on the road, the Vancouver Warriors were back at Rogers Arena for an all Canadian matchup against the Toronto Rock on March 6. The Rock took an early lead and despite some pushes from the Warriors that saw them close in score, they could not recover, and lost 13-10.

The first half was all the Rock. They opened the scoring first before the Warriors tied it. The Rock then went on a run, scoring four and taking a 5-1 lead. The Warriors broke up their run, but the Rock got it back for a 6-2 score at the end of the first quarter.

The Warriors scored first in the second, their only goal of the quarter. Then, the Rock went on another four goal run, extending their lead 10-3 by half-time.

Halftime gave the Warriors time to reset, and they came out stronger in the third quarter. They went on their own four-goal run to get within three of the Rock. This was almost completely erased as after this, the Rock scored three of their own within a span of a minute and four seconds. By the end of the quarter, the Rock held a 13-7 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Christian Del Bianco and the defense locked the net down and the Rock did not score, including a blocked penalty shot. The Warriors scored three of their own, but despite this second half push, it was not enough to come back.

While this game did not go the way the Warriors wanted, there were still some positives. Marcus Kalrich scored five of the Warriors' goals, showing the 23-year-old's growth and how he is developing into the game.

As well, this was the Warriors third game in eight days, all played in different cities, meaning there was lots of travelling involved with minimal rest. Travelling and playing multiple games in a short period of time is something that playoff teams encounter every year, giving the current third-place Warriors a taste of what they would experience in the National Lacrosse League playoffs.

Up next, the Warriors head on the road to face the Georgia Swarm on March 14. They return home for their final game of the month on March 20. It’s another Canadian matchup as they host the Ottawa Black Bears on their St. Paddy’s Night.