ROCHESTER — After finishing the 2023 regular season with an undefeated record, the Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School boys lacrosse team is off to another strong start in 2024.

The Cougars are 9-2, with six of their nine wins coming by a margin of nine goals or more. Since the start of the 2022 season, the Cougars have won 44 games and lost just five.

Head coach Geno Busa said that experience is the biggest strength of the program, which features 10 seniors, in 2024.

“Most of the roster has been on varsity since they were freshmen, so they know the system well and know each others' tendencies,” said Busa.

After losing two consecutive games in April, Old Colony has responded with five straight victories to right the ship.

According to Busa, keeping opponents off of the scoreboard has been a key to the Cougars’ early season success.

On the defensive end of the field, the Cougars can continuously be heard calling out to each other, especially goalie Ryan Letendre.

“Ryan is a vocal leader on the field and off,” said Busa. “Defensively, we have to communicate to ensure we are all on the same page and playing team defense.”

Busa described his team’s style of defensive play as “physical” and frustrating to other teams.

The Cougars rode that style to victory on Monday, May 6 against Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, winning 5-1 at home.

After a scoreless first quarter, Old Colony scored two goals in the second and third quarters respectively to take a shutout into the final frame.

Senior Luke Meelia capped off the victory with his second goal of the game with 9 minutes left of play.

“We were missing four key starters, and I was really impressed how the players stepped up and showed mental toughness during an adverse situation,” said Busa. “Not having several impact players can cause some people to give up or throw in the towel, but we had guys that refused to give up and worked hard to earn a gritty win.”

The Cougars are coming off a Mayflower Athletic Conference title and a state vocational championship in 2023, and Busa’s hope is that the team can defend each crown and keep them at Old Colony for another year.