By Luke Mich
As the 2020 spring break nears, so also does the start of the spring sports teams’ athletic seasons. One such team that recently began play is the men’s lacrosse team, whose first game was on Saturday, Feb. 15 against Arcadia University.
Head Coach Peter Tulk, men’s lacrosse team coach for 19 seasons, explained what he sees in the team for this upcoming season.
“They are a good bunch of kids, they’ve done well [so far at practice],” he stated. “They’re young and talented and defensively, [they are] very good.”
This strong defense “has many first-time starters.” Tulk said, however, that midfield and attack are aspects the team could improve upon.
“[The team] graduated many on offense [last year], including our team-leading scorer, and we [also] lost our top midfielder,” he explained.
“They’re young and talented and defensively, [they are] very good.” - Head Coach Peter Tulk
Tulk hopes that his players can help fill the void left by these players.
Players noted that they have been ready for the season to start, as they began training back in the fall semester.
Tyler Sosnak, senior defenseman, said they are more than prepared for the upcoming season.
“Over the fall semester, the team participated on early morning conditioning and lifting sessions with our strength and conditioning coach John Bell,” he stated. “The team practiced anywhere from three to four practices a week to prepare for the next semester and get back into fighting shape.”
Kevin Tregoning, senior goalie, detailed what they’re doing now as they get set for the season to begin.
“We have lifting twice a week along with practices just about every day, and once we start [playing] games, we’ll have film sessions after practice,” Tregoning stated.
A huge strength for the team is their unity.
“Working hard as a team and putting in the work, day in and day out at practice is the only way we can succeed,” Sosnak said.
He said the team is a family.
“We have really good chemistry on and off the field,” said Tregoning. “It’s a brotherhood and we all care about and trust each other so that will carry into games and be an advantage for us.”
After the last couple of results in the conference playoffs, obtaining the championship is the main objective.
“We have really good chemistry on and off the field. It’s a brotherhood and we all care about and trust each other so that will carry into games and be an advantage for us.” - Kevin Tregoning
“Last year, we were upset in the semifinals of the conference playoffs. [Once] again, our goal is to win the conference playoffs and get into the NCAA playoffs,” Tulk stated.
Tregoning said that the team’s expectation is a PAC Championship and nothing else.
“We’ve worked hard all year and we know it’s going to pay off,” Tregoning concluded.
After their match against Arcadia on Feb. 15, the men’s lacrosse team’s first home match will be this Saturday, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. against the University of Mount Union.