The 2025-2026 men’s lacrosse team is off to a very impressive start, going 12-4 overall. This start is advantageous to the success of the team down the road, and this current winning form is helping not only the team statistically, but morally as well. The players are showing grit, pushing through opponents while proving that they deserve the success that is brewing. Not every game is a guaranteed win, but the team isn’t going to go down without a fight. 

One player who is showing determination is senior Sam Loving. This is important to any team because it shows that the athletes are willing to grow and learn beyond what they think they are capable of. With any healthy amount of grit comes goals that each player wants to complete. 

“My goals for the season are to drop at least 40 goals,” Loving said. “I’m halfway there– I’m at 24 right now, and we still have about seven or eight games to go.”

However, goals aren’t the only important part of this season for the team — the players are also trying to keep camaraderie alive and help younger athletes contribute to the game of lacrosse as well. Connor McDowell, another senior on the team, talks about what it is like to aid the younger players on the team. 

“I definitely feel like I can take some of the newer kids under my wing, [and] definitely help them become better athletes,” McDowell said. 

The athletes on the team want to win as much as possible, and one of their main goals is to make it to the playoffs. If they keep this momentum going, they should have no problem. Nick Hoimes, a senior midfielder on the team, talks about what he wants to do during his last season.

“[I want to] make memories, have fun with the team and build a future,” Hoimes said.

Some of these athletes are playing on this team for the last time, and it is important to make an impact, leaving it all out on the field. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t have goals, such as keeping the future in good hands. The team is in good shape, and this could be a season to remember for the athletes, so they are trying to make it a good one. The seniors are laying the groundwork so that the next generation can strive, hopefully leading to an abundance of successful seasons in the future. 

“I think another goal would just be to have the entire team really mesh together, work together [and] have that good depth set-up by the end of the year for the newer kids,” McDowell said.