Wednesday, March 10, 2010 8:51 PM:
With such a hard loss to Salem State yesterday, I felt it best to take some time to collect my thoughts before writing this final entry. There was no doubt amongst us, or our coaches, that we gave everything we had, leaving it all on the field, and by "it all" that includes a substantial amount of my own skin on said field being lost to turf-burn, but despite all our efforts, we couldn't overcome the physical and mental fatigue that had accumulated over the trip. The game was undoubtedly a low point for us, and at first, seemed to be a frightening foreshadowing of how our season could go; however, we quickly let go of the negative aspects of the game to enjoy a great dinner hosted by Dylan Chase's parents. Our ability to move past such a difficult and potentially hostile outcome really showed our strength as a team… well that, or Dylan's parents just prepared such good food that it made us forget about the whole Salem State mess, I'm not really sure.
The trip, as a whole though, was a great experience. I'm not going to lie— I'm glad to be home in my comfortable bed not spending half of every day on a bus, and getting a break from seeing all my teammates every waking minute, but I do think when the break ends this trip will have made us stronger as a team. Not only by hardening our bones with excessive bruises, and toughening our skin through cuts and burns, but also by giving us a strong shared experience we can all say we endured. If we can survive 20+ hours on a bus driving through New York City and major metropolitan areas, if we can tolerate being stuck with each other without any time apart for five days, if we can even move after three games in four days, it's not too much of a stretch to think that we could make some noise in our conference this season…
Tuesday, March 09, 2010 9:00 AM:
In sports, the expression, "win or go home," is thrown around quite a bit, and seemingly suggests that going home is not the most desirable activity. Today, however, against Salem State, we have the chance to win AND go home— a much better situation in my book. Although the going home part is certain, the winning portion will take a little more... In our past two meetings, Salem Sate has beaten us 21 to 1, in 2008, and 16 to 7, in 2009, but this year, we might just have the offensive firepower and the defensive fortitude to change that sorry streak.
The team, for the most part, has been in good spirits since we got to Peabody. Some of the guys went out to the Sonic fast food restaurant right up the road, and others, like myself, just relaxed in our rooms. Today, we're leaving the hotel by 10:30 since Salem State has granted us use of their field for the whole day prior to the game, and we plan on making the most of that offer.
Hopefully, my next blog entry, whether written from my dorm-room desk, or from my bedroom back home will contain an excited account of how we finally triumphed over Salem State, and how this trip came to a fittingly successful close. I can't go so far as to completely predict today's outcome, since, last time, against Mount Saint Vincent, I was slightly off, but I will say, knowing how hard our team plays, that we will leave it all on the field today, and most likely need the next few days of vacation for a well deserved rest. Whether that rest is enjoyed or not may depend on the final score, but no matter what, we will definitely work to deserve it.
Monday, March 08, 2010 11:44 PM:
Today's trip to New York City served as a much needed break. Two lacrosse games in two days could quite possibly be too much, but then again, those two days were still fun- anyway, on the trip we strung together a sort of hodgepodge bus tour starting at Battery Park, then Ground Zero, Time Square, and finally Rockefeller Center. Along the way, we practiced our in-game calls to highlight any and all notable New York scenery including the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, who we thought to be Nancy Pelosi entering a hotel on Park Ave, and a few other eye-catching sights. During each stop, we were able to get out and explore some of the city, and while in Time Square, we found ourselves aiding in a YouTube-bound video for a series called The Hollywood Mogul. The video involved a cheesy, yet somewhat entertaining rap for which we chanted the chorus of "break it up, break it up, break it up." I'm not sure when the video will make its internet debut, but it'll be interesting to see nonetheless.
Overall, New York was a memorable and fun segment of our spring trip. We won our opening game against Bard, we had a valuable learning experience against Mount Saint Vincent, we saw New York City, we ended up on YouTube... for a good reason, and most importantly, we had a really great time.
Now, we're spending our last night in a hotel in Peabody Massachusetts before we play Salem State tomorrow at 3:30, and once again, I'm quite bushed, so I'll most likely be headed to bed after this post gets sent. I am, without a doubt, looking forward to getting through this final game on the road and sleeping in a familiar bed, but this whole excursion has been pretty exciting, so I am also a bit hesitant to see it all end.
Monday, March 08, 2010 12:43 AM:
I finished the last post saying "we won't be disappointed," well... to be honest, today's result left us feeling a little more than disappointed. Though a somewhat tolerable score- as far as being on the losing end can be tolerated- (10-4) control of the game seemed to be just out of our reach. It's pretty difficult to detach myself from everything that happened to give a decent account of the game, but there were a few good things that deserve to be mentioned. First of all, freshman keeper Chris Driscoll, making his first start in goal for the Monks, played an extraordinary full game making 16 saves while playing with a fiery intensity devoid of any apparent rookie jitters. Secondly, as bizarre as it sounds, our defense only gave up ten goals, a fact made more significant when compared to last year's loss to Mount Saint Vincent by a deficit of 21-7. Our offense even played a respectable game, but the real downfall for us was our inconsistency on clears. In the end, though, we gave everything we had, but it was just not our day apparently.
Thankfully, tonight is our last night in New York. Tomorrow we're heading out to relax and sight-see throughout New York City before heading to our next hotel in Massachusetts. There have been some good moments, and more recently, some bad, but I suppose that's just the nature of New York itself. If Sinatra's song on the city meant anything when he sang, "if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere," I wonder what then would follow from not fully making it, but breaking even with a record of one and one? Who knows, but it's getting late again, so for now, I'll have to cut this short.
Sunday, March 07, 2010 12:22 PM:
When I wrote in my previous post, "we're ready" for our game against Bard, I didn't realize that statement would become a bit of an understatement. After riding on the bus for quite possibly the longest 36.4 miles (Google Earth) ever driven by a conventional motor vehicle to get to Aviator Field (somewhere between two to three hours of elapsed time, although I'm not completely sure because the maddening monotony of passing nail salon after nail salon, strip mall after strip mall, and broken rust-gilded neighborhood after broken rust-gilded neighborhood on our route to the field somewhat skewed my perception of time) our feet finally rested on the familiar grounds of a lacrosse field, but even then there was more waiting to endure. Mount Saint Vincent, our opposition for the following day (today) was playing Cobleskill, so instead of just suiting up and shaking off the dust of bus-lag, we had to sit and wait some more. Though we were able scout out some of Mount Saint Vincent's strengths and weaknesses, the prolonged inaction threatened to lull away any intensity that we had mustered up for the game against Bard. Yet somehow, after all the traveling and waiting, we were more than ready. Despite two players already out of the game because of illnesses before the first whistle blew, one of whom wasn't even able to leave the hotel room, we were still unshaken, and as we circled up in a moment of silent reflection presided over by Coach Bell, we knew this was our day.
One minute and twenty seconds from the first face-off, thanks to Benson Pasquarello and some crisp passing through the offense, we had our first goal, and all the confidence and control we needed to dominate the game. Thirty three seconds later, Chachi Horgan doubled our tally, and three minutes later, Benson doubled his own goal count to put us up 3-0 with ten minutes left to be played in the first quarter. The goals then flowed from Dylan Chase, Paul Dolewa, and Luke LaFreniere to put us up 7-0 at the end of the first fifteen minutes.
Though the score didn't reflect it, (17-0) the game did have some moments of excitement and drama. Of the ten total goal scorers on the team, Dylan Chase, Alex Stone, Stephen Lucafo, Sean Flanagan, and Ross Hardaway all scored their first collegiate goals, and together, we made history being the first Saint Joseph's lacrosse team ever to have a shutout. Marco Stefano and Chris Driscoll, though rarely tested, played excellently to defy every shot they faced, and defensively, Kyle Joseph, Burt Comins, Joe Connolly, Joe Vining, Bryan Johnson, TJ Garske, and I controlled the game on our side of the field. The drama, on the other hand, rose from unsettling injuries, the worst of which came when Chachi, last year's leading scorer, fell to the turf during the win.
Now, looking back on yesterday as I prepare for today's game, I can confidently say, as I did yesterday, that we're ready. With the strong offensive leadership shown by Paul, Benson, Dylan, and Tookie Amosun, who all selflessly ran our offense as a team to make scoring threats of every Monk on the field, the unstoppable determination of Eliot LaMarre, the seasoned yet collected leadership of Ross Hardaway, and everything I intend to bring to the game today, I'm confident that we won't be disappointed when the last whistle blows...
SATURDAY, MARCH 6TH 12:16 PM:
People talk of the urban smog staining the New York air, but this morning, waking up in Yonkers with the sun seeping through my window as clear as any morning on the shores of Sebago, or by my beach back home in Biddeford, I have to say, New York still seems to be a healthy and beautiful state... at least from what I've seen so far.
Naturalist observations aside, the team is absolutely pumped for our first game. In our 10:30 morning meeting, there was a quiet intensity in the room as Coach Edgar and Coach Bell went over most of our in-game strategies that reflected a well-fed focus waiting to be unleashed today. Despite all the unknowns rattling around our heads- Bard being a first year program of which we don't know what to expect, a few injuries and illnesses that may or may not deprive us of a key player or two, how each one of us will play on our own and as a unit- there is still a strong sense that from all our training in the tight confines of the gym, during the late nights at Gorham sports complex, and fighting through frigid practices on Deering's Memorial field, we're ready...
SATURDAY, MARCH 6TH 12:42 AM:
After three movies, five states, and six hours on the bus, we finally made it to the hotel in Yonkers at around 11:30. The ride was somewhat enjoyable; Coach Bell laughed... once (a rarity for him), some of the guys constructed a fort in the back of the bus, we saw some interesting nocturnal culture on the streets of Yonkers, and the team really came together after sharing a moment of terror when the bus stalled on a steep incline. Although it's late, (currently 12:27 am) everyone still seems to have quite a bit of energy. It's as if the excitement for tomorrow's game is a sort of air-born caffeine, and I must admit, it's pretty much all that's keeping me awake right now.
Tomorrow, we're planning on waking up at around nine, heading to the complimentary breakfast, having a team meeting at 10:30, and the rest of the day, so far, seems to be up in the air until the afternoon when we leave for Aviator Field. I'll most likely try to write up a few more posts to make up for the brevity of this initial piece, but given the time and the past day's demands, I need some rest.
