The future looks bright for DePauw's men's lacrosse team, with the team picking up its second win of the season with an 8-6 victory over the Flying Dutchmen of Hope College Saturday.
"We were anxious but excited for this game," said first-year Sam Caravana. "We knew that this would be the best team we had played so far, and we wanted to see how we matched up."
The first 15 minutes ended with a 2-1 DePauw lead following goals from first-year Ryan Mauro and Caravana. The Tigers continued their charge throughout the second quarter with goals from first-years Adam Bridges and Robert Lapp. The Tigers entered halftime with the momentum and a 4-2 lead over the Flying Dutchmen.
Injured first-year Nick Woerner commented on the mood in the DePauw locker room following the first half.
"We were pretty happy with how we had played," Woerner said. "We knew we were playing well but that we needed to keep going and produce offensively."
Lapp, Mauro and Bridges all scored again in the third quarter to give DePauw a commanding 7-3 lead with 15 minutes left to play. However, Hope came charging back, scoring two goals in rapid succession to close DePauw's lead down to 7-5 with only a few minutes left.
The Tigers responded to Hope's quick surge when Lapp scored his third goal of the contest off an assist from first-year Grant Skipper. The Flying Dutchmen scored again just before time ran out to leave the final score at 8-6.
"After a win it's always fun with the team," said first-year Andrew Schlaff. "We have sing-a-longs to our sacred song, and everyone just enjoys themselves."
DePauw outmanned Hope in most measurable statistics, including ground balls fielded, face-offs won and goalkeeper saves. Tiger goalkeeper first-year Tom Kryspin gave an outstanding performance with 20 saves.
"Kryspin really kept us in the game," Caravana said. "He made all the saves he needed to and then some incredible ones as well. It would've been a different game without him. There's a reason he got the game ball."
The win gives DePauw a record of 2-1 so far this season. While it may still be early, this team is proving to be a far cry from the winless team of last year. The Tigers are rapidly making their way towards being a team to be reckoned with in the NCAC.
The Tigers have one more out-of-conference game before they begin their difficult conference schedule.
"The NCAC is one of the toughest conferences in the nation," Woerner said. "There's always several top 25 teams along with some really dominant ones. But we know that we'll be able to compete well and come out with some wins."
DePauw is back in action on Saturday when they travel to Carthage College for a 3 p.m. contest against the Torchies.
"Carthage is an established program," Schlaff said. "It will be a good indicator of what we can really do this year."
Caravana is looking forward to the game against Carthage as a challenge.
"Carthage will be the best team we've seen so far, and it's our first away game," Caravana said. "Expectations are starting to escalate, but we're confident."
