Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
The University of Maine men’s club lacrosse team may have played their coldest game of the season last Saturday in their opener when they were victorious over New Haven, 7-4.
The university’s lacrosse team stepped onto the turf, ready to battle their upcoming opponent, but also the harsh wind of the night. A border of snow still outlined the field as the team jogged a warm-up lap around the field in their lacrosse gear.
Team manager Julia Caron filled the team’s roster before the scheduled 6 p.m. start. The metal scoreboard was thrust off of the scorer’s desk by the strong wind.
“It was freezing,” Caron said. “But I love being there and watching those boys play. After a while everything just sort of went numb, and I didn’t notice how cold it was.”
One of the team’s more enthusiastic fans, Lacey Fogg, sat next to Caron and helped her with stat-keeping throughout the game.
“Grip it and rip it!” Fogg yelled as she urged the team on from the sideline wrapped in a pink blanket.
The players on the sideline tried to stay warm. Some moved their legs and did high steps to keep the cold from stiffening their limbs.
First-year coach Tim Roberts was on the sideline among his team as substitutions occurred frequently. The players on both teams anticipated their teammates return to the sideline and ran on the field like runners in a relay race receiving the go-ahead baton.
Roberts’ six-year refereeing experience is evident when he asked the closest referee: “Could you explain that call to me?”
The referee smiled, shrugged, and acknowledged that he couldn’t see the play from his angle and was equally confused about the call.
Senior Mike Capen, the team’s captain and vice president, delivered a huge hit on a New Haven player as the tide of the game switched in favor of UMaine.
The leadership provided by Capen, who scored two goals and had one assist, and other returning players and incoming freshmen gave Roberts a large sense of optimism for his team this year.
“We have another great goalie this year in Frank Digiacomo, a freshman from Long Island, NY, and we have amazing play from Jesse Tarlton,” Roberts said.
Digiacomo held the New Haven offense to 4 goals in their 7-4 opening day win, while Tarlton, a first year at UMaine, dominated with four goals and one assist.
“I was surprised by Jesse,” Caron said. “I knew he was good, but he was on fire against New Haven.”
Tarlton, small in stature and aided by glasses, grew up in Rhode Island playing soccer.
“I was dressed in very large pads and felt very awkward and nervous, but once I stepped on the field with my friends, I never looked back,” Tarlton said after the game.
Though the harsh wind was daunting on first contact for Tarlton, he seemed comfortable in his once awkwardly fitting pads on Saturday.
“Once that whistle blew and the game started, I didn’t even notice it,” Tarlton said. “The focus on the game takes away from the fact that you can’t feel any of your fingers or toes.”
Simply having the proper uniforms and personnel to play lacrosse is a change from two years ago when the team was not allowed to participate in the playoffs due to a lack of uniform jerseys and a non-playing coach.
“The thing that really held us back that year was funding and not having the resources for a coach. Lacrosse is not very popular up in this part of the state to get a coach with any experience,” Roberts said, who played lacrosse in high school and is now kinesiology and physical education major with a focus on teaching and coaching.
“They were determined to not let that happen again,” Caron said. “I was going to be the coach just for image sake so they wouldn’t get kicked out again.”
The team relied on former player Tim Taylor to coach their lacrosse team for last year’s 1-4 season. Through fund raising, player dues and working with Student Government and Residents on Campus (ROC), the team was able to purchase more uniforms for the increasing amount of players.
This season, the team began with seven home games, which saved money on traveling. With a lot of returning players, Roberts is confident in not only his team’s ability to make the playoffs this year, but also to get more people interested in the sport and eventually have a Division I lacrosse team at UMaine.
“I would love to see our club reach the next level, but to compete at the Division I level we would need to find a lot more funding. In teams like Boston College and Northeastern, the team’s dues are eight to 10 times more than what we ask our players to pay. I think that we could compete at the ability level,” said Roberts. “Give it a few more years before we look to realistically move up from division II to division I.”
The men’s lacrosse team has back-to-back games this weekend as they host Coast Guard Academy at 2 p.m. on Saturday and then University of New England club team Sunday night at 6 p.m. Both games will be held on Morse where the team hopes for better weather.
