The Marlins Men’s Lacrosse team is off to a decent start, despite coming off a tough loss against No 13. Ranked University of Lynchburg 16-4. They currently sit with a record of 4-5 and are 2-1 in conference play at about halfway through the season, but they are not settling for an average record.
Junior Midfielder Sebastian Reynolds described what the team has learned at the halfway mark of the season. “We have not started as we had hoped. We identified some major setbacks within our system and other struggles early on,” Reynolds said. He made sure to mention that the team is keeping their confidence and maintaining a determined and positive attitude towards the latter part of the season. “We do not look too far in advance. Our goal is to go 1-0 each week and to not focus on the next game until the current one is over,” Reynolds said.
He hopes that this mentality will help accomplish the team’s postseason goals. “Our goals are to make the ODAC tournament, and eventually make a push for the NCAA tournament. We have turned a new leaf as a program this year, and we need to prove that to the people that watched our games, but also ourselves,” Reynolds said.
This group of guys has worked hard to build team chemistry with a team of 41 players. “We have had some special moments this year that have really brought us together as one brotherhood. We all have each other and are a brotherhood that will last a lifetime,” Reynolds said.
Junior Long Stick Midfielder/Defender Crosson Miller also gave his input on what it is like to be a part of the team, crediting Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach J.P. Stewart for its great chemistry. “Coach Stewart has recently been emphasizing the importance of ‘out-teaming’ our opponent. We all have our own jobs and roles to take care of,” Miller said.
Despite the long break between games and the opportunity to go home for the break, the team has stayed busy for their upcoming conference matchup against the University of Lynchburg.
“We have prioritized body recovery and watching film on the upcoming teams that we will be playing. We want to make sure that everyone is physically and mentally prepared for the task we have at hand,” Miller said.
The team is two wins away from matching their six wins from last season, but it will be important to work to their strengths the rest of the way through a difficult schedule.
Senior Midfield/Attack Gavyn Tawes described the mindset for the upcoming games.
“We all have different strengths as a team and as long as we do what we need to do, we will win. That is what we tried to do against Averett and it seemed to work,” Tawes said.
He, along with the rest of the team, understands the potential this group of guys holds and what they can do the rest of the way. “If we are playing at our best, then I do not think that anyone can beat us,” Tawes said.
The Marlins’ next home game is Wednesday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. on Birdsong Field.
By: Coy Camiscioli
clcamiscioli@vwu.edu
