BW Men’s lacrosse officially have started their 2020 season this past month, in February. The Jackets home opener was on Feb. 22 against Geneseo, who they fell to 13-9 after a long competitive battle. The Jackets then found redemption with two consecutive victories, the first at home against Allegheny, a first-year program, which also ended in a final score of 13-9. Grove City was another competitive battle, but the Jackets brought home a win with a final score of 9-8.
The large freshman class has been making an impact already for the Yellow Jackets, and after their first victory as a class, Head Coach Trey Keeley said the team will continue to fight, “The freshmen getting their first win and this team trying to figure a little bit more of what it’s about. We know we have to fight forward and do what we know we need to do,” Keeley said. “So excited to see where we are and right now after a second win and trying to see if we can build on this and try to learn what it means to go get one on the road.”
Freshman like Kyler Byerly and Jake Branton have been finding the back of the net on game days, along with other young talent on the field. The game day jitters are not unusual for the young players to experience, but it is evident they get shaken out quickly after the 1st quarter. Going into the game against Allegheny, both teams faced an unlikely adversity. The changing seasons had a huge impact on the game—where the men had to play through a white out.
Student workers were assisting the teams by shoveling out the lines during any break in the game. This made it difficult for either to get a solid grip on the ground, and ball. It became a battle of grit and groundballs, as the Jackets saw success in the end. Which is something Keeley said his team built on, “It’s nice to get back on track in the win column on our second game. It was good to be at home as well,” Keeley said. “Obviously not the perfect conditions for a lacrosse game, so kind of a gritty game of who’s gonna be out there and get good ground balls.”
The men have been working hard and keeping themselves accountable to ensure their readiness when they travel across the U.S to Colorado for spring break, where they will face unseen competition. BW is taking off on Monday to begin their journey to conquer wins on the west coast. Tuesday, March 10th BW will face off against Haverford (Pa) and on Wednesday against Colorado College both hosted at Colorado College, in Colorado Springs.
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