The University of Rhode Island men’s club lacrosse team won 26-0 against Southern Connecticut State University at Jess Dow Field, in New Haven Connecticut at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Heading into the game, the Rams already had an eight-game winning streak, and according to Head Coach Larry Madeira, the team was determined to walk off the field continuing that streak. The Rams’ opponent, Southern Connecticut State, moved up to division two this season.
With that in mind, Coach Madeira did not see their opponents as a threat.
“From the start of the warm ups I knew we were gonna win the game,” Coach Madeira said.
Southern Connecticut State only had 12 players in attendance at this game, whereas Rhody had the chance for each of their 35 players to have time on the field. According to coach Madeira, he pulled the starters off the field during the first quarter of the game. He also pointed out that the team was able to get four possessions throughout the game. Fourth-year faceoff player Nathan Winter consistently got the ball to his team as he won every faceoff of the game.
Out of the 26 goals the team rams scored, Coach Madeira acknowledged first-year midfielder Zack Pettit’s contribution to Sunday’s game win. Coach Madeira highlighted that even though Pettit is not a starter, he still successfully scored seven goals during the game. Second-year attackman Sean Clark added points to Rhody’s score, as he got two goals for the team.
Coach Madeira discussed the drills used in the team’s practices, such as practicing one-on-one drills and always keeping everyone moving. He then went on to add that this game was more of an emphasis on what the team practiced the week prior. For this game, both the coaches and the players knew that the game would not be as intense as some of their former competitors have been this season.
Pettit acknowledged that from his perspective, having every member of the team getting a chance to play in Sunday’s game showed just how far the team has come altogether since the start of the season. He mentioned that with every new game they all find a way to work together rather than just focusing on themselves.
The players used this game as a chance to focus on the drills they have been going over in practice.
“At practice we worked on the foundation of zone defense,” Pettit said. “We used this game to tune up those drills”.
According to third-year defensemen Luke Sencal, the game was a boring game for the defense team. The Rams offensive team kept possession of the ball the whole time, not allowing their opponents many chances to score a goal. When the opportunity presented itself, Southern Connecticut State only attempted two shots throughout the whole game.
Rhody’s win against Southern Connecticut State added to the team’s winning streak, extending it to nine games. As Coach Madeira and the team prepare for their game against Dartmouth on home field on Thursday, they keep a strong confidence level as they head into the game.