With two wins already in the books, the Geneseo men’s lacrosse team hopes to keep the victories coming. The Knights came out on top in a close 7-5 contest against Lycoming College on Feb. 25. In their second game on Sunday March 1—a game that was supposed to be played at Geneseo but was moved to the Rochester Institute of Technology due to inclement weather—the Knights beat Clarkson University 11-7.
The Knights faced a similar situation last year, in which many of their home games had to be moved due to the weather. Unfortunately, it appears as though something similar will happen again this season, unless the March weather picks up for them. “It gets to you, it really does,” head coach Jim Lyons said. “But to [the players’] credit, it rolls right off their back; they just go out and play.”
Even though they won’t be able to get outside and play nearly as much as they would like to, the Knights are still pushing ahead. They take the opportunities presented to them and they use them to their advantages.
Many players who didn’t get much playing time last season are now getting plenty of time to show how much that they’ve improved. Sophomore defensive midfielder Tommy Piazza, senior goalie Alex Howell and sophomore defender Daniel Deutsch are just a few of the players who are all seeing more playing time in this new season.
“Not everyone has played in these games, but I tell you what, our team is practicing with more joy and fun than anyone out there,” Lyons said. Even though the Knights have been dealt a subpar hand when it comes to the weather, they have been able to pull through before and they’ll be able to do much the same this year.
“We’ve been practicing harder than we have in years and it really shows … I think that the overall team effort is what’s really been brought out due to this situation,” Lyons said.
Now that the Knights have started their season off on the right foot, they need to start looking ahead to try and keep their season going strong. “Obviously our goal this season—and every season—is to make the SUNYAC Tournament and hopefully host a game,” Lyons said. “After that, I would hope that we would make the NCAAs and see how far we can get there.”
That ultimate goal is one that everyone should try and reach. This season, the Knights look like they have enough going for them to make that happen. Lyons has high expectations for his team––as he should. The Knights look poised to make a deep run this season, and everyone involved should be excited.