After what seemed to be a very up-and-down season, with a 3-6 record overall and a 1-4 division record, the men’s club lacrosse team’s season came to an end.
Even with its less than 500 record, the team still feels that this season was a successful one, junior Jordan Garvin said.

“We obviously had a young team,” he said, “and that made for some struggles early on during the fall. I think we regrouped nicely and started to really work together as a team.”

The team is young, with its roster consisting of 13 freshmen, 12 sophomores, two juniors and three seniors.

With such a young team, the Blugolds have more time to play together as a team and really form a stronger bond, sophomore Jeremy Clements said.

“We are losing two seniors, Adam Gierl and Chris Ziemke, both who have put a lot of time and effort into making this team what it is today,” he said. “They will be missed but hopefully we can have some underclassmen step up and take some of the key roles needed to keep this team moving in a positive direction.”

Garvin is also the club team’s president and is in charge of many things that most players, in the other teams the Blugolds face don’t have to worry about.

To accomplish the many feats that a normal team would deal with, the club formed an executive board that holds meetings to discuss practices and the general direction of the team. There is also an annual meeting for the entire Upper Midwest Lacrosse League at which they discuss how the general season went, as well as rules and regulations, and take a vote to see if those need to be changed.

“There is a lot of double-checking going on to make sure that all our players are eligible by school and league standards,” Garvin said. “We also have to take care of our own financing to make sure people are correctly paid for gas money and accommodations while traveling with the team.”

The team also faces challenges when it plays at home. It has to paint the field, set up nets and tables, provide scorekeepers and clock runners, and make sure the referees are going to be there on time. If the game is an out-of-conference game, they have to make sure the rules and regulations the teams follow are in accordance with each other.

The team received support from its fans at its home games this season, Clements said.

“I hope that (our fans) will return with some more friends for this next season,” he said. “Hopefully we can put on a good show and get some wins for the Blugolds.”

During the season, the Blugolds’ strengths lie in its defensive skills, freshman Michael Deering said.

“We have a great defense,” he said. “(With) the long poles, we have put in so much work to creating a strong zone around the goalie.

Even with our rookie goalie Mitch Davis, he has done so amazing this year. He will be a strong part for our team in the next years.”

Davis, a freshman, made 128 saves this season and had a save percentage of 0.677, and was ranked fourth in the UMLL Division B.

Next season, the team hopes to improve its offense and work together as a team to form solid bonds, sophomore Glen Fisher said.

“Once these first-year players and our veterans have some time to work together, the team will be a serious contender,” he said.

“The team chemistry is very positive and I know everyone is now just waiting to come back next year to go far in the playoffs.”