SARAH BURNS; Sports Writer: burnssj@plu.edu
As PLU’s winter athletic season comes to a close, the spring season is starting with much anticipation. The metal bats are whistling through the air and the start guns on the track are crackling into the sky, but there’s also another sport underway: Men’s Lacrosse.
The PLU Men’s Lacrosse team has kicked off their 2017 season with the hope that it will be the best yet. Junior and two-year captain Alex Moore has high hopes for the team this season despite having experienced tough losses in the past.
“This season is about developing the confidence to know that we can put goals in the back of the net.”
The Lacrosse team works with more challenges than most PLU sports teams because they are a club sport. They don’t have access to many facilities like the training room and the team cannot recruit, so it relies on students volunteering for the team and sacrificing time in order to be a student-athlete. In some cases, this means that the roster is full of players who have never played lacrosse before. Despite their lack of lacrosse experience, the individual athletic talents on the team shines through.
Moore said, “We actually have a couple freshmen who are starting that have never played before, and they are really good.”
Relying on natural athletic talent and the ability to conform to a new sport, the team has continued to progress and get closer to a victory.
In 2015, the team lost to Portland State 3-23. However, this year they were much closer, losing only 3-7. The development has shown in the stats book, and now it is time to show it in the win column.
Moore explained, “You can’t rebuild a program overnight, but you can show improvement each day.” With this positive outlook, the team has set themselves on the right track to succeed and are looking forward to the rest of their season. When asked about his favorite part of the game, Moore couldn’t narrow it down to just one event.
“It’s the little things in each game that make it fun” Moore said. “Stripping a guy of the ball looks cool and is really fun to do, but it changes each game.” The team doesn’t rely on their record to decide if they are having fun. Instead, they focus on each game and find joy in that experience. Their focus and drive on utilizing the full potential of their team will propel them towards accomplishing their goals this season. The Lutes’ next home match is March 18 against Western Oregon.
