UMW men’s lacrosse falls short in first game
3 min read
The UMW men's lacrosse team huddles with their coach, Drew Delaney | @umwlax, Instagram
by EMMA KINGKEO
Staff Writer
On Saturday, Feb. 10, the men’s lacrosse team made a valiant effort to rise from the ashes of their 0–7 first quarter against Randolph-Macon College but ultimately lost the match.
“We definitely came back, but we just didn’t have enough time,” said Jake Furman, a senior marketing major who plays attacker on the team.
According to Head Coach Drew Delaney, the Eagles had an amazing performance in the spring preseason and last week’s scrimmage; however, they had a rough start on Saturday as they ended the first quarter without scoring any goals.
Meanwhile, Randolph-Macon dominated with seven scores by the end of the first, leaving the UMW team frustrated and with a heavy weight on their shoulders.
Despite this lack of momentum, the Eagles managed to come back strong and adjust to their opponents’ aggressiveness within the second quarter where they scored three goals in a row and four in total.
According to Jay Hooker, a sophomore accounting major, the team will review gameplay recordings, work out at the gym and analyze scouting reports to identify their opponent’s weaknesses in addition to practices on the field. These techniques help the team to work on their personal development and strategize for their upcoming games.
“We’ll look at their team, and we’ll try and pick apart which one of our guys fits best with them,” said Hooker. “And then, hopefully, we have what we need on game day. But clearly, we didn’t match today.”
The third quarter was the most balanced, with UMW scoring three goals and Randolph-Macon scoring two. This nearly brought Mary Wash into the lead, and the teams finished the quarter with a score of 7–10.
Though UMW was able to squeeze in one last goal, Randolph-Macon stayed consistent in their offensive efforts as they scored three back-to-back goals in the final quarter.
Despite their honorable attempts to combat Randolph-Macon’s energy, UMW’s men’s lacrosse team was defeated 8–13.
Head Coach Drew Delaney provided insight into the difficulties that affected the team’s performance.
“We got a young group with a lot of new guys in new roles,” Delaney said. “And we clearly have to adjust how we prepare because what we did leading up to this game didn’t get us what we needed.”
The Eagles have faced Randolph-Macon as an opening game in the past, and last year UMW was victorious against them 20–14.
As a result, Saturday’s loss was especially disappointing and tough on the entire team, and multiple members expressed regret about how they performed at the beginning of the game.
“The game went pretty good for the last three quarters,” said Hooker. “The big problem was going 7–0… that’s not the start we really wanted.”
The discouraging start to the season provided the team with the opportunity to identify what they have to work on and how they can improve to ensure future success.
“I definitely feel more confident [for the next game],” said Furman. “Because we know we need to push ourselves more, and we’ll be back.”
UMW’s men’s lacrosse team has a busy season ahead, and their next game will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17 against Roanoke College.
