Usually there's only one chance to make a first impression. Sewickley Academy's boys lacrosse team got two and made the most of it.

The Panthers jumped into their league season with mixed results, beginning with a 3-1 loss at Central Catholic in their first Western Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association game on Apr. 2.

The team then got on the winning track to open Midwestern Scholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association play with two wins over the weekend, 10-2 at home over Detroit County Day and 7-5 over Birmingham Seaholm at Robert Morris' Joe Walton Stadium.

Those games made Sewickley Academy's record 2-2 through the weekend's play, starting the final season before boys lacrosse becomes a WPIAL-sanctioned sport.

When that time comes, Sewickley Academy vs. Central Catholic will remain one of the area's top matchups, as proven by the defensive clinic put on by both teams in their low-scoring matchup.

"There was a lot of ball movement and a lot of great defensive play on both ends," Sewickley Academy coach Tim Hastings said.

"Because of the great defensive play, the offenses had to be very deliberate. They got a couple goals in transition and we weren't able to match that."

The first quarter left some doubt as to whether the goals would come at all, after the teams played a scoreless 12 minutes.

Mac Means appeared to have the first goal on Sewickley's first chance with the extra man, but his score was disallowed for stepping into the goal crease with 3:57 remaining. Central, meanwhile, had plenty of possession but few shots, as the Panthers stayed disciplined in a compact zone defense.

The breakthrough came with 10:48 left in the second quarter, as the Vikings decided to shoot rather than try to penetrate the zone.

Central's C.J. Burke, a Villanova-bound senior midfielder, took a pass from Casey Totten standing 15 yards from goal, unmarked in the center of the field. Before the defense could react, Burke fired a laser of a shot past Sewickley's junior goalie, Josh Otto, for the first score of the game.

The tally did little to change the flow of the game, but Burke's next big moment would.

With just :37 remaining in the half, the Central senior drove from the midfield stripe into Sewickley territory, weaving past the Panthers' defenders. Once in his attacking area, Burke unleashed another hard shot, giving his team a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

"(Burke)'s a great player and we were aware of him coming in," Hastings said. "He deserves the attention and the accolades."

After the halftime break, Sewickley had one of its best spells of possession, including a minute with the extra man midway through the period. But with 4:32 left in the third quarter, the Panthers were down 3-0, and had yet to create any serious scoring chances.

As the fourth quarter began, the Panthers had to amp up the pressure. The move paid off early, when David Bonomo took a pass from Taylor Takacs and fired a low shot from the right to beat Central's Ryan Pilarski for the first time, making the score 3-1 with 8:32 left.

Sewickley continued to press, but Central got as many scoring chances as the Panthers did in the fourth, the result of open space left as defenders applied pressure.

"They put us into that situation," Hastings said.

"With about eight minutes left and only one goal, we couldn't sit back and had to start pressing out. We thought (the goal) would open the flood gates."

That wasn't the case, as five penalties against Sewickley Academy in the last 3:01 of the game killed any shot of a comeback.

Still, Hastings was pleased with the way his team held up against the Vikings, who are currently rated as the No. 2 team in western Pennsylvania, according to laxpower.com, and along with Seneca Valley, are the preseason favorites in the Divison 1 North Section.

"I'm very enthusiastic about this year," he said. "It's a great group of players. They're fun to work with and they work hard."

"This was a very competitive game and if that's the best team in our division, we're right there. I think we proved that we can compete at this level, and we're going to get better each game."

Hastings also gave his team credit for adapting to him as a new head coach. He is beginning his second stint in charge of the Panthers, one which he hopes has moments like the team's last WPSLA title in 2001, a team which Hastings coached.

"It's difficult with me coming in with a whole new coaching staff. These players have been playing certain schemes for the last three years, and all of a sudden, they're learning new stuff."

The new schemes took hold well enough for two wins in MSLCA play, as Sewickley moved into a second-place tie, a half-game behind Brother Rice (Mich.).