On Saturday, Feb. 18, the men’s lacrosse team traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to face off against Rhodes College in their first game of the season. After a hard fought first half, the Tigers fell to Rhodes by a score of 14-5.
The Tigers remained close behind Rhodes at the end of the first half with the score of 4-5, thanks in part to two goals by sophomore Matt Dauw, and additional goals from sophomore Steen Jorgensen and senior Sam Alkema. However, Rhodes broke the game open in the second half, as the Lynx outscored the Tigers 10-2 in that half.
In his first game as head coach of the team, Dan Ambrose saw the game as a positive indication of where the team stands, as well as a chance to seek areas to improve as the season progresses.
“For a team that’s trying something new, I thought it was a great game in a lot of different ways,” said Ambrose. “From an offense standpoint, a lot of guys were getting the ball and from a defense standpoint we limited a lot of their guys for most of the game and I saw seven guys working as one unit.”
With four different goal scorers and several players rotating throughout the defense and midfield throughout the game, the team gave a lot of different players exposure, which will help the players develop and adjust to Ambrose’s new system.
Amongst some of the bright spots of the game, one performance in particular resonated with the team: the collegiate debut for first-year goalkeeper, Charlie Robson. Robson, who started the game, totaled 16 saves throughout the contest, after being shot at 31 times over the course of the game.
“Our goaltending by Charlie was spectacular,” stated Jorgensen, “He stood up big many times on Saturday and never gave up until the final buzzer.”
The game provided a good testament to where the team could improve as well. With several first-year players playing important roles within the team, the team was not acclimated to each other's styles of play. However, the team believes that with more games and practice, they will be able to improve as a unit and communicate better as a team.
“We just need to play a few more games,” said senior defenseman Charlie Yorke. “We played a very solid 55 minutes but there were a few periods here and there where there were lapses.” By playing more and increasing communication, the team can limit those lapses and learn how to work better together.
While the result of the game was unfavorable for the team, the players also remain hopeful for the quickly rising program, and believe that they can continue their development as a program. “During the first game we’re working to get some of the kinks out,” said Yorke. “By the time we hit conference play I think we’ll be firing on all cylinders.”
The team continues their season on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Kalamazoo College; as they will look to give Coach Ambrose his first win as head coach of the program.