Sports

Wilson scores five as men's lacrosse downs Eastern

In print | March 5, 2009

The Swarthmore men’s lacrosse team certainly showed that they are more than ready for the 2009 season with an 11-8 victory over the Eastern University Eagles this past Saturday.

The game began inauspiciously for Swarthmore, as Eastern scored the first goal of the match within the first five minutes. However, the early 1-0 lead would turn out to be the only lead of the game for the Eagles. Swarthmore’s “man-to-man defense was able to settle down after some early jitters,“ Kevin Friedenberg ’10 said, and the tone of the game began to change.

The Garnet found a key component to success in co-captain Stelios Wilson ’09, who, according to teammate Gavin Musynske ’10, “had arguably the best game of his career.” Wilson posted five goals for Swarthmore, a career high. No Swarthmore player has scored five goals since Chris Harman ’08 did it in 2005. This Tuesday, Wilson was named Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week, a prestigious honor that teammate Musynske also received last spring.

Along with Wilson, attacker Musynske also proved to be a potent force on the Garnet squad. He found Tyler Bradshaw ’10 with a nice pass, who then proceeded to score, bringing the tally to 6-3 in favor of Swarthmore. By the end of the game, Musynske tallied four assists. According to head coach Pat Gress, Musynske’s “hustle and unselfish play” have made him a valuable offensive asset.
The game continued to remain relatively close, as Easter attacker Nick Mandia proved to be a pesky presence on the field, posting four goals for Eastern. A tense moment for Swarthmore arose in the fourth quarter, as the score reached a slim 7-6 Garnet advantage. Eastern followed by gaining a man-up advantage and managed to take two shots on Garnet goalie Friedenberg, who made two key saves.

The start against Eastern on Saturday was Friedenberg’s first career start at Swarthmore, a long-awaited debut after the graduation of All-Centennial goalie Frank Mazzucco ’08. “Kevin had big shoes to fill after Frank left. He definitely did his part to help Swarthmore win,” Musynske said.
But Saturday’s victory was no fluke. Several players cite the team’s success as a testament to the intense preseason physical fitness regime. According to Wilson, “a few of [the] team fitness testing records were broken this spring.” The team will also practice over spring break.

Another key factor to the Garnet success was, as put by Wilson, the transition game. “We were able to score a few fast break goals that really sparked our offense,” he said.

In terms of goals and expectations, the Garnet men are thinking big. “Our team goal is always to have a winning season and make it to the playoffs,” Musynske said. The team was 9-8 in 2008 but was only 1-7 in the Centennial Conference, a perennial NCAA men’s lacrosse hotbed. The Garnet will open Centennial Conference play against Ursinus at home on March 18.

Also, though many important players were lost from last year, promising new faces are eager to fill their shoes, as seen in Friedenberg’s strong performance. “Every week, our opponents get harder and harder, especially in-conference. We will need to elevate our game each week to rise to the challenge,” he said. Along with Friedenberg, Gress also said that several new first-years have enhanced the squad, including midfielder John Bukawyn ’12 and defenseman Matt Bowers ’12.
In terms of expectations for the season, Gress said he just wants the team “to be the best team possible by the end of the season, and to improve each week. We want to be able to compete with some of the best teams in the country.” Last season, the Swarthmore men’s lacrosse team advanced to the ECAC (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) Championship and lost to Drew University by a final score of 7-5.

The Swarthmore men’s lacrosse team will play its next game on the road on Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 p.m. against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Disclosure note: Kevin Friedenberg is a Sports Columnist for The Phoenix but had no role in the production of this article.