The Tigers men's lacrosse team lost to Beloit College, 10-14, Saturday, closing their season on a nine-game losing streak.
The four-point difference was the closest score the Tigers have had since a 13-17 loss against Illinois Wesleyan University on March 20. The Tigers' last win of their 2014 season came two days after in a 19-5 trumping at Hiram College.
Since then, the Tigers have lost handily to Whittier College, Dominican University, Denison University, the College of Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan University, Oberlin College, Wittenberg University and Kenyon College. Last weekend's loss against Beloit was the Tigers' sixth loss in conference play.
The Tigers are in a competitive North Coast Athletic Conference, including the undefeated Denison University Big Red (17-0) and the second - seeded Ohio Wesleyan, who ended the season with a 12-3 record.
"Having such tenured teams in our conference forces us to grow up quick," said first-year defender AJ Schlaff.
Last week, the Tigers watched from home as Denison won the NCAC Men's Lacrosse Tournament Championship. The Big Red beat Ohio Wesleyan 14-5 in Granville, Ohio, giving them an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament.
With the Tigers season over, they can only hope to be in a similar position as Denison next season.
However, with a Tigers program that has only two years of experience, the top of the NCAC conference may be a ways away. In their matchup with Denison, the Tigers were shut out 21-0. Even with the lopsided score, the Tigers unit says they saw their gains.
Nevertheless, some players are honest about their disappointing season.
"We didn't really reach our expectations this season," said first-year attacker Adam Bridges. "We wanted to be at .500, and we didn't reach that goal. The fan support was good though, we had an okay showing for most games."
Last season, the Tigers went 0-14, which included being outscored 10 - 67 in their last three games. Because the majority of this year's Tigers roster is first-years, the Tigers' three wins this year could be marked as a start.
"Adjusting to the speed of the game was my biggest lesson [this season]," said Schlaff. "It was strange going from playing 16 year olds in high school, to playing twenty something men in college."
Two days ago, the Tigers received good individual performance news from the NCAC when first-year defender Eric Speer was named an honorable mention for the All-NCAC Team Selections. The individual gain is enough for the Tigers to look forward to next season.
"I'm extremely excited and motivated for next season," said Speer. "It was an honor to be recognized as by the NCAC... But, none of this could have happened without the help and support of everyone on the team. We worked extremely well as a team this year and I can only see that continuing as we mature as individuals."