Geneseo’s men’s lacrosse is back in swing for the first time in over a year with recent games versus the Ithaca Bombers and the St. John Fisher Cardinals in which they lost both times by close margins.
The team has dealt with massive change in their year layoff as the onslaught of COVID-19 has given the team a season unlike any other. Among these changes include the shortening of the season to an eight-game schedule and the relegation of practices into small pods in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible.
Perhaps the biggest change for the team came with the graduation of several upperclassmen, none more notable than the graduation of goalie Tyler Wetzel, or “Big Red,” as the team lovingly nicknamed him. Wetzel was often referred to as the heart and soul of the team, and his talent at the goalie position was tabbed as being more than worthy of a spot on a Division I roster, according to senior defender and co-captain, Tyler Bushnell.
“Big Red, he was the man. He was one of the best goalies in Division III history, and I’m not being biased,” Bushnell said. “I played with him for three years and thought he should’ve played Division I lacrosse somewhere.”
Luckily for the Knights, they have a worthy replacement in sophomore goalie Mark Pav who has been on an absolute rampage in the team’s first two games with 17 saves in the first match versus the Cardinals and 21 in the next game versus the Bombers.
Senior midfielder and co-captain Liam Thompson felt Pav has more than stepped into the shoes of Wetzel, adding that Pav is one of the biggest reasons the games they’ve been in this season have been so close.
“Mark Pav has really stepped in and been amazing this season,” Thompson said. “Because Big Red was such a presence on our team, we weren’t sure how Pav was going to come in and Pav’s come in and completely stepped up.”
Adding to the team’s new look this year is the fact that the team has a roster made up of 46 student-athletes, 24 of which are underclassmen who have appeared in only a few games for Geneseo, but this is not holding the team back as they have embraced the changes and new faces brought on by this season.
Bushnell expanded on this and added that working with the underclassmen has been rewarding and a necessary part in creating a good culture for the Knights.
“Working with the young guys has been awesome and it’s good for the older guys to be able to teach them,” Bushnell said. “We learn best from each other, that’s how it works the best … being able to help those young guys has been huge and I think it’s going well.”
A significant change for the team came with their greatly shortened season this year, but that is another change that the team is embracing in their quest to reach the postseason for the fourth time in the past six years, according to Bushnell.
“Our pressure to win games has always been high and this year is no different,” Bushnell said. “This year, with the eight-game schedule, every game counts, and our expectations aren’t going to change. It should be us and another team in the top two.”
The team hasn’t gotten off to the start they hoped for with a 10-6 loss to St. John Fisher and a 11-10 loss to Ithaca, but there is still a strong belief that the Knights can go far this year according to Thompson.
“Both of those teams were not better than us, I just think we had some opportunities where in the future we’re going to fix them and come out with victories,” Thompson said. “We did play fantastic, and we’ve been putting some great things together on both offense and defense, so I look forward to continuing to play.”
This year’s Knights men’s lacrosse team is far different from the last, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have any less dedication towards winning and with their talent level this season. The Knights can more than reach the SUNYAC Championship and establish themselves as the dominant team of the conference for yet another season.