by Will Menser, Staff Writer
Starting up its fourth official season, the Asbury men’s lacrosse team is gearing up for the spring season. Now under new head coach Ben Murphy, who was the assistant coach last season, the Eagles are hoping to make some progress for their new program. The past two seasons have been frustrating for the Eagles, both ending with losing records. This doesn’t mean that this season, or future seasons, will be the same though.
This year, the roster has a strong core of upperclassmen, as well as a fairly large class of 10 freshmen. This balance of experience and youth will be helpful not only for this upcoming season, but also for seasons to come. The freshmen will be able to learn from the men who have played the game longer and develop into leaders themselves.
Freshman Jonathan Webb talked about his anticipation for his first collegiate lacrosse season: “I personally am just excited for the opportunity to get out there and get some time on the field. [I am] really looking forward to seeing how our team glues together.” The 13- game season will certainly be tough, but it’s obvious that the team is ready to play. Sophomore Frederick Thacker supported this sentiment, saying, “We are just ready to play people besides ourselves.”
This is totally understandable considering that practices have been ongoing since this past fall, consisting of hours of conditioning to prepare everyone physically for the season. Webb affirmed that, saying, “We’ve been working hard [and] putting in the practice during scheduled times, and I know most of us have gotten ready outside of practice. Coach has been preparing and getting us active with practice plans.” It may be a short season, but lacrosse is a physically demanding sport, so the current height of practice intensity is a good sign for the team.
Part of the reason the intensity has been so high is due to Murphy. A former lacrosse player at Mount St. Joseph for one year and University of Kentucky for three, Murphy has hands-on experience with the sport. Not only was he team captain during the 2012-2013 season for the Wildcats, he also has experience as a lacrosse referee and high school coach.
When he was first promoted to head coach this summer, he said in an interview on the Asbury Eagles website, “I am excited to take over the program at Asbury. I see great potential for the future with this team and cannot wait to get started.” His experience and excitement have provided a promising jump-start to the lacrosse program. This level of excitement and dedication can help bolster the team to be a strong contender this season.
The overall goal for the season is obvious: win. Frederick emphasized that point by saying, “As a team we want to win games this year and make it to the playoffs.” The goal is attainable, but it will be difficult. The team will have to play five teams ranked in the top 10 in the NAIA Coaches’ Preseason Poll, including #1 Reinhardt University and #4 Indiana Institute of Technology. If the Eagles are able to pull off a few upsets, they will likely have a shot at the playoffs. The first game is on Feb. 23 at home against ninth-ranked SCAD Savannah. The main part of the season, including conference play, will begin in March and continue into mid-April.
Photo by Stephen Madden