UMW lacrosse faces a loss during their home opener against Roanoke

by AYA OGAWA

Staff Writer

On Feb. 14, the UMW men’s lacrosse team faced No. 20 Roanoke College in Fredericksburg for the season’s home opener.

With a young roster and a new coach, the Eagles entered the game wanting to prove they could compete with a ranked opponent. Despite a 17-8 loss, this game allowed the Eagles to execute new plays and build on their capabilities.

“We want to show that we can hang with teams that are ranked above us,” said midfielder Reece Stone, a senior accounting major. “We know we’re just as good as them, and we don’t get the respect that we deserve.”

Ahead of each game, the team holds regular practices, workouts, and discussions to assess the best way to approach opponents.

“The day before, we just walk through stuff, like rides and carries and stuff like that,” said freshman midfielder Logan Klinger.

Roanoke built an early lead, and UMW’s second-half push was not enough to change the result.

Roanoke took control early in the game, scoring four unanswered goals in the first quarter.

By halftime, UMW was behind 8–3, and the mood among the Eagles’ supporters reflected the tough start.

In the second quarter, with just under three minutes remaining, Klinger scored on an assist from Stone. Just over a minute later, sophomore midfielder Tucker Bradley, a business administration major, added another goal, again helped by Stone, narrowing Roanoke’s lead.

New Head Coach Kyle Hofstaedter mentioned the importance of game-time decisions and decisive action on the field.

“Be ready to adjust,” he said.

True to his words, the Eagles finally took flight in the third quarter.

Klinger scored at 10:55, and again only 47 seconds later, at 10:08, senior midfielder Jackson Rhodes, a business administration major, found the net from an assist by freshman Joe Novak.

UMW kept up their efforts in the fourth quarter, with Dave Votapek, a senior business administration major, scoring at 14:40 off an assist from Jacob Fowler, a senior marketing major.

With 2:55 remaining, UMW scored its eighth goal, which brought the crowd to its feet again, even though the team was still behind.

Even in the final seconds, Fowler won the faceoff at 00:05, showing the Eagles’ spirit to compete until the end.

Goalkeeper Ryan D’Angelo, a senior applied economics and computer science major, whom Coach Hofstaedter indicated was a player to watch, recorded 11 saves and stood strong in front of the net throughout the game.

Although it wasn’t the outcome the team hoped for, the game demonstrated the strong potential of this new-look Eagles.

Klinger emphasized the excitement of a new team.

“We have a young team with a lot of young guys, including me. We’re just trying to go out there and execute,” he said.

Stone also expressed his dedication to working with his new team.

“Learning the offense, learning the defense is kind of learning each other’s tendencies. I think we’ll be ready to go,” he said.

Stone and Klinger have a dedication to their team, noticing the support from their teammates and how helpful their team is to them.

“We have good players, Tanner and then Dave, an older guy. So I think we’re gonna look good going out there,” he said.

The commitment the players have alongside the dedication they are putting into performing together shows their desire to push for their next game.

Coach Hofstaedter reflected on Saturday’s game, acknowledging the team’s mistakes and his belief in his players.

“We made too many uncharacteristic mistakes against a very strong opponent. Those errors proved costly as they were able to create separation in the fourth quarter,” he said.

However, he said the team is focused on correcting those issues this week.

“If we take care of the details and play to the standard we’ve set for UMW lacrosse, we’re confident it will be a competitive and exciting contest versus Randolph-Macon College,” he said.

Hoping to showcase their new team and continuous determination, UMW men’s lacrosse will compete at home on Feb. 20 against Randolph-Macon College.