Wakefield boys lacrosse coach wants to fine-tune defense

Wakefield boys lacrosse coach Derin Vacca seemingly has had little to complain about as his team won seven of 11 games to open the season.

However, one flaw with his team reared its ugly head in the second half of Wakefield’s 17-15 loss at Heritage on April 4, as defensive breakdowns led to a seven-goal third quarter by the Huskies that produced a lead they would not relinquish.

“We just can’t play team defense,” said Vacca, shaking his head as he spoke. “I don’t know, but we have to figure it out, that’s the difference. ... That’s why we’re losing the close games, and losing to the good teams.”

In matches decided by three goals or less, Wakefield (7-4) is 1-4. The four losses have come against Heritage (twice), Broughton, and Leesville Road, those three teams combining for just five losses. The Wolverines have given up double-digit goals in all those losses.

At least offensively things continue to go well for Wakefield. The team has scored in double-digits in all but two of its games and has produced at least 16 goals in six matches.

This story was originally published April 19, 2017 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Wakefield boys lacrosse coach wants to fine-tune defense."