VMI Club Lacrosse 2018
After coming out of a losing season of 1-4 last year, Club Lacrosse is currently on a streak of wins. Throughout February and March, the club has compiled victories over Washington & Lee, North Carolina, Hampton Sydney and others. This past weekend at Cabrini University, the team improved their record to 8-2 with wins over Cabrini, Villanova, UMBC, and Penn State.
Their season began on a rainy Saturday afternoon at The University of Virginia with two losses from UVA and Navy but with senior leadership and talent throughout the team, their record has only improved. The past three weekends of gameplay; (2-0, 2-0, 4-0) have shown the team doesn’t hang their head when taking on two early season losses. On the teams roll of 8 wins, they have outscored opponents 64-23, compiled of goals from some standout players; midfielders Ethan Mahoney (ACIC), Tom Nofi, and Chris Nelms, and attackmen Cody Sheetz, Jacob Shaver, and Christian Vaccaro. The starting lines at midfield and attack present a threat from all angles around the goal and keep the opposing goalies on their toes when VMI has possession.
Ethan Mahoney (3rd classmen ACIC) adds in “The biggest difference from last year is the better organization during our practices and the larger schedule we adopted. I’m excited for the remainder of the season because of how we have been playing and improving each week.”
Outscoring opponents 64-23 could not be possible without a stellar defense consisting of players like Anthony Menichini (CIC), Rob Woolfolk (CIC), Matt Eibl, and Zack Pokrywka. The team’s defensive intensity keeps offenses out of shooting range making the jobs of goalies Logan Moore, and Charlie Palandati less painful. “The improvement from this year is rooted to interest and commitment among the guys” says Anthony Menichini (1st classmen and CIC). “We have a larger roster than last year which gives us more depth and more talent to pick from. The two losses in the beginning of the year allowed us to realize what level we need to play on and it has been paying off since.”
The remainder of the season has games scheduled against The Citadel, College of Charleston, and another tournament at The University of Maryland. The season will then wrap up with the NCLL championship tournament which is being hosted by VMI in early May.
| 02/10 | at Virginia Club (2-1) | Blue Ridge D1 | L | 6 – | 9 | |
| 02/10 | vs Navy Club # (2-0) | Chesapeake D1 | L | 4 – | 11 | |
| 02/24 | CNU CLUB (1-2) | Tidewater D2 | W | 11 – | 4 | |
| 02/24 | HAMPDEN-SYDNEY CLUB (0-2) | W | 8 – | 2 | ||
| 03/03 | NORTH CAROLINA CLUB (0-3) | Blue Ridge D1 | W | 10 – | 4 | |
| 03/03 | WASH. & LEE CLUB (1-2) | Blue Ridge D2 | W | 6 – | 5 | |
| 03/17 | at Cabrini Club (3-4) | Liberty D2 | W | 13 – | 3 | |
| 03/18 | vs Villanova Club # (1-3) | Liberty D1 | W | 7 – | 3 | |
| 03/18 | vs UMBC Club # (3-5) | Chesapeake D2 | W | 4 – | 1 | |
| 03/18 | vs PSU Berks # (1-3) | Central PA D2 | W | 5 – | 1 | |
| 04/05 | at Wash. & Lee Club (1-2) | Blue Ridge D2 | – | |||
| 04/14 | at Citadel (0-2) | South | – | |||
| 04/14 | vs TBA # (0-0) | – | ||||
| 04/20 | BELTWAY BASH (0-0) | – | ||||
| 04/21 | BELTWAY BASH (0-0) | – | ||||
(Source: laxpower.com)
Matthew P. Kelly