Face off at Homewood Field

I finally got to witness a match of lacrosse on Saturday which is the oldest sports in North America. It began centuries ago where the Native Americans played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick, develop strong and virile men as well as to prepare for war. To Native Americans, lacrosse is still referred to as "The Creator's Game."

The match took place at Homewood field, between Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays and Townson University Tigers. Each team has a goalie, three defenders, three midfielders and three attackers. The aim is to shoot as many balls into the opponent's goal. The team with the most goals wins.

The game began with a parachutist bringing the balls for the match. What a great way to start a game! The referee’s whistle blew off and the competition started with the Blue Jays leading against Townson Tigers. I sat among fans of the Blue Jays where I spotted a guy with an interesting cap. In support of his favorite team, he had three blue jay look-alikes attached to his cap. The Hopkins cheerleading team and pep band were there to hype up the game with chants, dances and songs. Everytime the Blue Jays scores a goal, the pep band will played the fight song, 'To Win', where fans would join at the end, by counting the number of goals scored by the Blue Jays and chanting 'We want more!'

Competition was fierce between both teams. Players had to wear protective gears as they can use the lacrosse stick called the crosse to hit the opponents. Their scores were neck and neck with the Blue Jays leading by two or three points. The face off ended at the fourth quarter with the Blue Jays beating the Tigers 11-10.

Congratulations to both teams for a game well played. I had a good tan sitting at the spectator stand for one and half hour after two months here.