Men’s Lacrosse Accentuates Positives of
Season by Channing Joseph
Rounding out the season on a dry note, the Oberlin College
men’s lacrosse team fell, 17-2, to the College of Wooster in a home
game on May 4. The defeat places the team at a final standing of 0-5
in the North Coast Atlantic Conference and 0-14 overall. Despite
the loss, however, several players made their athletic talent and
commitment shine through, particularly first-year Mike McKenna, who
scored both of the team’s goals during the recent contest, juniors
Sam Bryar and Brian Lange, who each made assists for the Yeomen, and
senior Dave Smolev, who concluded his Oberlin lacrosse career with
29 recorded saves in the game, bringing his total number of saves to
310 on the season and his save percentage to an impressive 62.9
percent.
Realizing early on that the team would consist of 12 members
and not 14, a smaller retinue than first envisioned, Head Coach
Robert Oldham said that he had a made a point throughout the season
to urge the players to adopt the viewpoint that their aim as
lacrosse players should not necessarily be to achieve victory but to
improve as athletes.
“We
made a lots of improvements,” Oldham said. “I went into the season
knowing we were going to have a limited number of guys. We started
with a few less guys than I thought we were going to have. I
emphasized that it’s about getting better. It is disappointing that
we didn’t win any games. [But] 20 percent of the team had not picked
up a stick before. We made some small improvements offensively and,
defensively, we remained consistent.”
Oldham
is looking optimistically to next season. “I think the guys on the
team got along really well,” he continued. “They enjoyed each
other’s company, and that’s something to build on for next
year.” Bryar also spoke of the team’s improvements, demonstrating
general agreement with the words of his coach and citing that one
team member’s notable example was an inspiration for the Yeomen.
“This
year we went into the year knowing things would be tough,” Bryar
said. “And the guys on the team stood up and met that challenge.
There were a lot of times when the odds were definitely not in our
favor. I have no doubt that every game those guys went out and
poured their hearts out. I know the win column doesn’t say we had
the best season, but there’s more to it than that. It was tough
going out and losing because we knew it would be Dave’s last game.
Dave was great. He was a great leader. He really helped us. He made
us better players in that we had someone to look up to. We’re
getting better, but it’s hard to show it. I know it because I’m
playing with these guys everyday.”
Yet the
time for playing lacrosse is still not over, as the current lacrosse
team members will be playing a traditional post-season game against
alumni opponents this upcoming Saturday, May 11, at 1:30 p.m. in
Dill Field. |