By Travis Hall ’19, staff writer
Both men’s and women’s lacrosse are gaining momentum after recent key victories.
An inauspicious start to the season saw the men stumble to an 0-4 record, while the women sat at 1-4. It was considered a disappointing start to both campaigns, after preseason hype indicated the teams had potential to surprise people. However, the two squads appear to be on the verge of turning their seasons around.
Since returning from spring break, the men have played a different brand of lacrosse. Victories against Marymount University, Bryn Athyn College and Immaculata University came as a result of solid defense leading to offense, as they won all three games by a combined score of 45-14. The biggest teambuilding win, though, came when the Dutchmen dealt rival King’s College a 12-8 loss.
“Everyone on this team has to be prepared to play and step in with confidence,” Nick Mowry, senior defender, said. “In the last three games I have seen a huge improvement in that aspect.”
In addition to improved team play, however, there is one player in particular leading the way. Senior goaltender, Cam Epple, was named Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week two weeks in a row. As a result, the Dutchmen are 4-1 in their last five outings.
“We definitely started off slower this season than we would have liked to,” Mowry said. “But we overcame [that] challenge by working on the little things in practice that [have] helped us win the close games that we have had.”
Meanwhile, the women have seen better results of their own since a tough loss against ranked York College. Since that game, the Dutchmen are 2-1, with wins coming against Shenandoah University and King’s College. The latter proved to be a benchmark game, as LVC dispatched of the conference rival Lions by a wide 16-4 margin.
“We are a young, talented team with a high ceiling that is starting to mesh at the right time going into conference [play],” Jen Eck, senior defender, said. “Our out of conference schedule included a lot of strong teams that challenged us and showed us what it’s going to take to be successful going down the road into postseason play.”
Both teams have defeated one of their biggest conference opponents in the past week, and they hope it is just the start of what’s to come. The men (4-5) are back in action again on Wednesday, March 27, at Alvernia University at 7 p.m., while the women (3-5) take the field again on the same day at home against Widener University at 7 p.m.
For more information, or to watch online, visit godutchmen.com.