Men's LAX Spring Break: Two More Games to Go

The Whittier College men's lacrosse spring break trip carried on with the team looking to rebound from its loss to Goucher as they prepared for the upcoming match-up with #13 Roanoke College.  After a team dinner in Maryland, they returned to the hotel for a good night's sleep and awaited the next day of travel into Virginia.

The team loaded up the bus the next morning, everyone still adjusting to the time change on the East Coast, and set sail for College Park, Md., to soak in some Division I lacrosse between the nation's top team, University of Virginia, and #4 University of Maryland (where Head Coach Nate Watkins and Assistant Danny McCormick were All-Americans during their collegiate careers). 

The stadium was packed with fans, many of whom recognized the coaches and were full of questions for the team about their former teammates' coaching abilities.  College Park provided an incredible atmosphere and the level of lacrosse gave the Poets inspiration for their game the next day.  The final horn sounded and Watkins and McCormick's alma mater pulled-off the upset to the delight of the hometown crowd.  But for the 30 Poets heading to Roanoke, the horn signaled back to the bus, where the rest of the day was devoted to the trek to Roanoke. 

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It's game day.  It's time to "Do Work!"  The team gets the day started with breakfast at the hotel, and peers outside to see the gloomy sky that has settled over Roanoke.  Most teams travel to warmer climates and sunny skies for their spring break, the Poets left the constant sunshine of Southern California for the cold and rain of early Mid-Atlantic spring.  On top of that, the Poets' top defensive midfielder, David Denniston '08, came down with a stomach bug that made him questionable for the game. 

They arrived at Roanoke focused and ready to battle.  The game gets started quickly, with Roanoke scoring in the first minute of the game.  Denniston, who bravely tried to play, was unable to continue, leaving the Poets even more shorthanded, with senior captain Daniel Aas already sidelined with a broken hand and a number of other players playing through injuries.

But the Poets showed their heart, coming back with an answer to the Maroons' opening goal as Sean McCarroll '11 fired a shot from long range that beat the Roanoke goalie and tied the score.  Twenty seconds later, Whittier took the lead when Kevin McCarroll '08 found defensive midfielder Dave Barr '09 in front of the goal for an easy score.  Barr, while it doesn't entirely show on the stat sheet, had an incredible game with the goal and three groundballs, not to mention a number of big hits and he pestered the Roanoke midfield constantly on defense.

Roanoke isn't the #13 team in the nation without reason, however, and the Maroons proved it with goals at the 8:50 and 6:50 marks in the first quarter to take a 3-2 lead after one stanza.  The officials called the game closely for the entire contest, as the teams combined for 22 penalties, including nine in the first quarter.  As a result, the Poets struggled to gain an offensive rhythm and would have to scrap and claw to get back into the game.

The Maroons opened the second quarter just as strongly, netting their fourth goal less than five minutes in.  After a six-minute scoreless spell for both teams, Roanoke broke the silence with a man-up goal that gave them a 5-2 lead.  The Poets were able to cut the lead to two before the half; the McCarroll brothers teamed up as Kevin found Sean for another long range strike with just over one minute left in the first half.

The Maroons dominated the third quarter with three goals, while the Poet offense was unable to score.  They teams went into the final quarter with the score 8-3.

Ben Barchey '08 looked to rally the troops to start the fourth quarter, scoring an unassisted goal two minutes in.  It took just five seconds for Roanoke to squash any hopes the Poets would have at a comeback, scoring three straight for an 11-4 lead.  Barchey found Chuck Wagner '08 for a goal, but with 4:26 left in the game, the six-goal deficit was too much.  Neither team scored in the remainder of the game, giving Roanoke the 11-5 victory.

Once again the groundball battle played a major role in the contest, as Roanoke won 60-36.  Corey Schab '09 led the Poets with six groundballs and Anthony Lackey '09 and Riley Myrick '11 grabbed five and four, respectively.  Both teams took 43 shots.  Whittier goalie Ben Brown '09 made 18 saves in the loss.

To make matters worse for the already dejected Poets, following the game senior captain Todd Drotleff was taken to the Emergency Room, where a fracture was found in his spine.  He is out for the remaining two games of the Spring Break trip, perhaps longer.

The Poets returned to the hotel, went out for a team meal and began to focus their sights on the next game, another tough match-up with a top Division III team, #9 Lynchburg on Wednesday.  You can listen to the game on the internet by logging on to http://pointers.audiovideoweb.com/asxfiles-live/1c2winlive6909.asx