Men’s Lacrosse looks to develop some momentum as they finally dive into their season
By Kellie Lagoy
Virginia Wesleyan’s Men’s Lacrosse team has gotten off to a slow start this season, but that has nothing to do with performance. Snowy conditions have forced the Marlins to reschedule games or even move them to a neutral field. However, the rough weather hasn’t affected the players’ morale or the start of their season.
“I don’t think it has affected us. Lacrosse is lacrosse. The weather is always tough this time of year in March,” said senior goalkeeper Rory Finnegan.
The Marlins opened up their season on March 1 at the DLH Sports Complex. The Ferrum College Panthers proved to be a tough opponent in their opening match. Virginia Wesleyan put three quick goals in to start the game, but halfway through the first quarter Ferrum tallied three unanswered goals of its own. The second quarter saw six more goals, and only three of them were for the home team. Both teams went into the half deadlocked at six apiece.
The next two quarters saw the same back-and-forth scoring that occurred in the first half of the game. Three more uncontested goals from the Panthers gave them an 11-8 lead heading into the final 15 minutes of the contest. The final goal of the game decided the winner: senior attacker Mike Moran’s goal came with just 12 seconds left in the half, and it pushed the Marlins to a 14-13 win.
The Eagles of Eastern University were the next opponents for the Marlins. The Eagles came into the game with an undefeated 4-0 record, and handed Virginia Wesleyan their first loss of the season. A one-goal first quarter and a goal-less third quarter contributed to the loss, with a final score of 11-8. Despite four uncontested goals in the second quarter, the Marlins couldn’t find an offensive balance to battle back and win.
“Offensively, I don’t think we’re doing as well as we want to. It’s early in the season, and sometimes it takes time for the offense to click. Those guys are all good players. They know what they’re doing,” Finnegan said.
A solid defense came out to play the following day against the lacrosse team of the Coast Guard Academy. Finnegan and his defense held Coast Guard to only three goals. The offense found a swing, and the Marlins netted 12 goals for an overwhelming win over their opponent.
“I like where we are at defensively. It’s early, and there is tons of room for improvement, but I like what we’ve been able to do so far,” said Finnegan.
Their first three home games showed solid effort for the Marlins, but the players are aware that every game is a new chance to improve on their skills.
“Yeah, there is definitely things to be improved on across the board. I don’t think anyone ever plays a perfect game. There are definitely things I can get better at, and there are things that the rest of the team can improve on,” said Finnegan.
Junior defenseman Stephen Soltesz agreed with his teammate regarding the improvements that can always be made.
“I think we’re still working out the kinks in the beginning of the season, but once we get the wheels rolling, we will really take off,” said Soltesz.
Kinks will soon fall out as the team gets into the swing of a consistent season. There are just a handful of non-conference games left. Virginia Wesleyan will compete again on Saturday, as the team travels to take on the Eagles of Bridgewater College. The match will be an afternoon affair, at 2 p.m., to start ODAC play.
