Men's Lax Spring Break: Doing Work at Marymount

The journey began on March 27.  Three games and ten days later, the Whittier College men's lacrosse team was in the final day of their East Coast trip, searching for a win after losses to Goucher, Roanoke and Lynchburg.  The final stop was Arlington, Va., to take on Marymount University on April 5.  Click Here for game highlights.

The team flew out of Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C. almost immediately following the game.  So after breakfast that morning, everyone packed their bags and loaded the bus, where the Poets greeted their newest fan, the team bus driver for the entire trip affectionately nicknamed "Big John".  He had become a part of the team in the short time they were with him, rooting for them from the stands and providing constant support even after the previous three losses.  "Big John" met each player and coach with fist pounds and words of encouragement as they stepped on the bus and headed to the field.

The Poets were focused and determined to leave the Mid-Atlantic with a win.  They proved that in the first quarter.  Anthony Lackey '09 scored three times in the opening frame and added an assist as the Poets jumped out to a 4-1 lead.  He finished with four goals and three assists. 

Corey Schab '10 kept things going in the second quarter with a rocket that beat the Marymount goalkeeper top shelf to make it 5-1.  Schab was one of the difference makers in the game for Whittier.  In addition to the goal, he grabbed a career-high 15 groundballs and won 12 of 22 face-offs.  Christian Wirght '10 and Colt Adams '11 also scored in the second as the Poets seemed to be cruising with a six goal advantage. 

Marymount began to battle back, scoring an extra man goal at the 6:43 mark.  The Poets were called for six penalties in the second quarter alone.  But goalie Ben Brown '09 and the Whittier man-down defensive unit of David Denniston '09, Riley Myrick '11, Dave Barr '09, Ryan Kirkpatrick '11, Austin Atwell '08 and contributions from other players allowed just the one man-up goal.  Brown had 15 saves, five in the second quarter, as Whittier took a 7-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Alex Chaudry '09 opened the second half scoring less than two minutes in.  Marymount started a comeback charge, scoring at the 4:03 mark and again with 2:36 left in the third.  With 30 seconds left before the final quarter, Seth Mahler '10 picked up a groundball and raced into the offensive end, where he found Kevin McCarroll '08 for a fast break goal.  It was 9-5 and the Poets were just fifteen minutes away from snapping their four-game losing skid.

Marymount continued to fight, scoring twice in just over three minutes to make the score 9-7.  Lackey responded with a goal at the 11:11 mark to increase the lead to three.  Marymount scored back-to-back goals again, this time cutting the lead to one with 5:15 left.  The Poets would not be denied, however, and with 2:54 remaining, Adams made a spectacular move from behind the cage and beat the goalkeeper to put the finishing touches on a Poet 11-9 victory. 

"I think we learned a lot about ourselves over the course of this trip," said Head Coach Nate Watkins, relief in his voice that the team was able to bounce back and get a win.  "We came out here hoping to show our guys the level we need to get to, and to get our younger players more experience.  Guys like Colt [Adams] and Corey [Schab] really proved they what it takes to succeed at this level.  We came together as a team after a couple of injuries and hopefully we can carry this through the rest of the season as we get some guys back."

There wasn't much time to celebrate after the win, as "Big John" waited in the parking lot to take the team to the airport.  No one was happier about the win than "Big John", and he let the guys know how proud he was.  They showed their appreciation for his hard work as well, presenting him with the game ball after the game and including him in a team photo. 

They deserved a jovial bus ride after the long ten days.  And even after the full day of travel, the team was full of smiles as they reached the Graham Athletics Center at 12:30am.  Come Monday, it's back to class, back to homework and back to preparing for their next opponent.  Come Monday, there's no doubt that, win or lose, the Poets men's lacrosse team will continue to "Do Work!"