Freshman midfielder Ben Sherman (left) rips a shot off
the turf and between Millsaps College goalie
Riley McLean's (right) legs. DePauw smoked Millsaps 22-4,
rounding their record off at 3-3.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
With adrenaline still coursing from a 13-0 defeat against Cornell College on Monday, the DePauw University men’s lacrosse team was able to reel in another victory on Wednesday against Millsaps College (2-5). The 60 degree weather and animated fans contributed to their 22-4 blowout. These two wins bring their overall record to 3-3, a definite esteem booster in continuing to fight for a winning season.
Freshman Ben Sherman and sophomore Nick Woerner picked up the majority of the goals for the Tigers, finding the back of the net five times apiece. Sherman also racked up six assists, setting a single-game record for DePauw for most points scored. Grant Skipper came out on top with 11 ground balls on the day.
Joe Ross, sophomore defender, said that the team’s victory came from their “focus towards minimizing mistakes and capitalizing opportunities.” Ross is pleased with the team’s progress and said the game against Millsaps was the highest scoring for the lacrosse team in school history.
With nine seperate players scoring goals on the day, it's not suprising the record was shattered.
When playing against those that aren’t as skilled, teams sometimes play down to their level. According to Ross, this was certainly not the case Wednesday night. He felt that the team played with full intensity and great effort.
“Regardless of who we are playing our goal is to play to our highest ability throughout the game, and this is exactly what we did,” he said.
Similarly, sophomore defender Sean Coyne felt the win was essential for getting the team in the right mindset to play more competitive teams in the conference.
“We were firing on all cylinders, not much could have gone better today,” Coyne said.
Coyne also said that Coach Haas was pleased with their performance on the field and expressed a lot of energy after the game in the locker room to get the team hyped up for their next conference game.
Coyne believes they have a good shot for a win.
“The rest of the season looks promising, and there will definitely be some good wins in there,” he said.
Freshman defender, Jack Gomez, is elated to see the team excelling in these past two games. He’s been unable to play all season due to a leg injury, but is looking to get cleared and back on the field right after spring break.
“I’m very and excited to play again because it’s been almost a year since I’ve been able to fully run,” he said. Gomez has been going through rehab to recover so he can fulfill his “D3 dream.”
Both Ross and Coyne are eager to play their rivals.
“It’s Wabash inaugural season this year, so that will obviously be a big game for us,” said Ross. That game will take place at Reavis Stadium on April 5 at 5.
According to Coyne, their last game of the season against Oberlin will also be a huge rivalry for the team.
Gomez expressed that part of the reason for their recent success is due to the positive attitudes of the team, coaches and fans.
“It really makes a difference when students come out to support and cheer us on,” Gomez said. The Tigers are determined to end with a winning record and have high hopes for a successful postseason.
The team plays next Saturday on the road at Kenyon College.