I’ve chosen to take a break from my “team fun” spotlights in order to express a few thoughts regarding our Division-I lacrosse program which will be concluding it’s first season as part of a the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) this Saturday.
There has been much talk over the past three years about Bellarmine’s first Division-I team. The team came in with my freshman class and their 13-2 season in 2005 brought much excitement to the school and those attending games and learning about the sport. This season the Knights have struggled to pick up wins and, at a glance, one may think our Division-I team is a joke with their 3-9 record. I would not be so skeptical though.
All one needs to do is, first, take a look at the competitive schedule the Knights have been up against this season and, second, take a look at the scores of these games, especially in comparison to last year.
The lacrosse team is in its first year as a member of the GWLL—finally able to compete as more than a provisional team on the Division-I level. The team most recently picked up its first GWLL win as they defeated the Air Force Academy 16-10 last Saturday, April 15. In 2006 the Knights were defeated 9-7.
The Knights’ two other wins came against St. John’s, 12-11, in their home opener (making it their third consecutive home opener win) and Wagner, 12-8, after starting the game down 0-3.
So what about the loss tally? What does that say for the Knights?
Four of the nine teams BU has lost two were opponents from their 2006 schedule as well. Of these four, the score difference was smaller in three of the games and two of the losses were by two or fewer goals.
The men fell to Denver on April 13, a GWLL member, 9-7 while missing leading scorer Ray Finnegan. In 2006 they lost 13-5. A month earlier they were defeated by Brown, 9-8, after losing 6-9 in 2006. The one-point loss was the second of the season as the Knights fell to Manhattan, 7-8, ten days prior in a double overtime.
Their other two second-meeting losses came from Duke and Notre Dame. While their Notre Dame score did not better (3-11 in 2007, 2-8 in 2006), their large marginal loss to Duke was a great improvement. The team was crushed 16-1 in 2006, but picked up eight additional goals this year, while Duke only had two more, making the 2007 score 9-18.
Perhaps I may seem to be digging deep to find optimism, but when speaking of a No. 5 ranked team in the country, which Duke was as of March 31 when the Knights faced them, I believe it’s worth something.
Five of the nine teams Bellarmine lost to were ranked in the nation’s top 20, including the previously mentioned No. 5 Duke and No. 19 Notre Dame, as well as No. 6 Maryland, No. 9 Princeton and No. 15 North Carolina.
The Knights will conclude their 2007 season this weekend when they take on final GWLL opponent Quinnipiac. Bellarmine lost to Quinnipiac in 2006 by one goal in a double overtime. A win this Saturday would give the Knights a 2-2 record in their first season as part of the GWLL.
So do not discount the Bellarmine lacrosse program after a glance at their record. There is a reason a team plays a competitive schedule, and that is for improvement and a long-term goal. Sometimes it cannot be about showing a single respectable record, but building a respectable program. The lacrosse program is three years old. It’s just a toddler. Keep feeding it and it will grow strong.
There has been much talk over the past three years about Bellarmine’s first Division-I team. The team came in with my freshman class and their 13-2 season in 2005 brought much excitement to the school and those attending games and learning about the sport. This season the Knights have struggled to pick up wins and, at a glance, one may think our Division-I team is a joke with their 3-9 record. I would not be so skeptical though.
All one needs to do is, first, take a look at the competitive schedule the Knights have been up against this season and, second, take a look at the scores of these games, especially in comparison to last year.
The lacrosse team is in its first year as a member of the GWLL—finally able to compete as more than a provisional team on the Division-I level. The team most recently picked up its first GWLL win as they defeated the Air Force Academy 16-10 last Saturday, April 15. In 2006 the Knights were defeated 9-7.
The Knights’ two other wins came against St. John’s, 12-11, in their home opener (making it their third consecutive home opener win) and Wagner, 12-8, after starting the game down 0-3.
So what about the loss tally? What does that say for the Knights?
Four of the nine teams BU has lost two were opponents from their 2006 schedule as well. Of these four, the score difference was smaller in three of the games and two of the losses were by two or fewer goals.
The men fell to Denver on April 13, a GWLL member, 9-7 while missing leading scorer Ray Finnegan. In 2006 they lost 13-5. A month earlier they were defeated by Brown, 9-8, after losing 6-9 in 2006. The one-point loss was the second of the season as the Knights fell to Manhattan, 7-8, ten days prior in a double overtime.
Their other two second-meeting losses came from Duke and Notre Dame. While their Notre Dame score did not better (3-11 in 2007, 2-8 in 2006), their large marginal loss to Duke was a great improvement. The team was crushed 16-1 in 2006, but picked up eight additional goals this year, while Duke only had two more, making the 2007 score 9-18.
Perhaps I may seem to be digging deep to find optimism, but when speaking of a No. 5 ranked team in the country, which Duke was as of March 31 when the Knights faced them, I believe it’s worth something.
Five of the nine teams Bellarmine lost to were ranked in the nation’s top 20, including the previously mentioned No. 5 Duke and No. 19 Notre Dame, as well as No. 6 Maryland, No. 9 Princeton and No. 15 North Carolina.
The Knights will conclude their 2007 season this weekend when they take on final GWLL opponent Quinnipiac. Bellarmine lost to Quinnipiac in 2006 by one goal in a double overtime. A win this Saturday would give the Knights a 2-2 record in their first season as part of the GWLL.
So do not discount the Bellarmine lacrosse program after a glance at their record. There is a reason a team plays a competitive schedule, and that is for improvement and a long-term goal. Sometimes it cannot be about showing a single respectable record, but building a respectable program. The lacrosse program is three years old. It’s just a toddler. Keep feeding it and it will grow strong.
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