<rleton Men’s Lacrosse season kicked off in February, with the team travelling to Augsburg to play in a dome against St. John’s. With the absence of captain Will Tynan ’11, Dave Abel ’13 led the team in scoring by notching three goals against a stingy Johnnies defense.
The next road trip brought the Knights to Ames, Iowa the weekend before spring term started. With only 12 players, the team pulled of an impressive 9-7 upset of MSU-Moorhead. Defender Ben Breen ’14 put the team on his back with a heroic goal in the final quarter to lead the Knights to their first victory of the season.
The grueling back-to-back scheduling left the Knights shorthanded, playing a game the following morning with only one man on the bench. Captain Sam “Bernie” Althauser ’11, normally relegated to playing defenseman, made a mid-game transition to midfield and scored two goals in the losing effort.
The following weekend, the Knights split their two games, dropping an away game at national champion St. Thomas, with Josh Carson ’14 and popular RA Kenny Zillig ’13 netting goals. However, the following day a robust and animated home crowd celebrated the brunch of Party Week and cheered the Knights to a 12-5 victory against Augsburg within the confines of Laird Stadium.
The next weekend brought more success to the Knights, who were on the road for both games. A fast start against UW-Eau Claire gave the Knights an early lead, but it disappeared by half time. Miscommunications on defense led to a four-goal Eau Claire lead with minutes to go in the final quarter. However, led by the sterling play of keeper Jeremiah McIntyre, Esq. ’11, the Knights kindled a comeback for the ages over the final minutes of the game. Attack man Jason Weischedel ’11, making a triumphant return to lacrosse in his last year at Carleton, scored a spectacular one-handed goal, while the exquisite play of defender Courtney Morris ’11 sealed down the Knights’ end of the field. The Knights escaped with an impressive 13-12 victory, scoring five goals in the last eight minutes.
The unseasonably cold Minnesota weather forced the Knights to play a 9 a.m. game in the snow against visitors Calvin College. Uneven footing led the game to resemble a slip-and-slide more than a sanctioned contest, and the Knights lost 9-7 in a game marred by rule adjustments and mishaps.
Playing a second game later that day against Creighton University, the Knights acclimated to the bizarre field conditions and led into the final moments. A late Creighton goal forced overtime, where the Knights eventually fell 11-10.
The last game of the season was against hometown rivals St. Olaf. The Knights hit a rough patch and lost to the Oles 13-9. With their final record, the Knights booked themselves a place in the UMLL playoffs. The Knights are scheduled to play St. Olaf again Friday, April 29 at 6:00 p.m. in St. Paul.
True Overholt is a member of the Men’s lacrosse team.