The Elon University women’s lacrosse team has gotten much attention in its inaugural season, but there is another lacrosse team on campus making a name for itself: the men’s club lacrosse team.
The Phoenix, which plays in Division II of the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC), began the season ranked No. 12 in the preseason coaches’ poll. But a 5-1 start to the 2014 campaign has merited a rise to No. 5 in the March 11 poll.
The team is accustomed to success, having won the North West division in five of the last six seasons and the entire Division II in 2008, 2010 and 2012. But this year is different than those championships seasons said Steve McDonald, team captain and club lacrosse president.
According to McDonald, the team has played as individuals in the past, while this year the team is playing more as a cohesive unit.
“Having a whole team atmosphere [has been key],” McDonald said. “The past few years we’ve had a lot of one on one, but we have a lot of guys this year — small gears working the big machine — who are working well together. We just have a really committed group.”
This commitment described by McDonald has translated on the field to wins over teams ranked above them in the preseason rankings. The Phoenix topped the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) 16-11 Feb. 22, aided by a four-goal performance from senior midfielder Dylan Herbert. For the seniors, beating the team that has knocked Elon out of the playoffs in two of the past three seasons was a sweet feeling.
“[Beating SCAD] was awesome,” said senior defenseman Hank Kean. “We’ve always had pretty close games with them, so it felt unreal to go down there and beat them on their own turf and silence them a little bit.”
Wins against Indiana Institute of Technology Feb. 28 and North Carolina State University March 2 also warranted the rise in the rankings, as Indiana Tech was ranked No. 8 in the preseason poll, and NC State competes in Division I.
Production has come from throughout the lineup for the Phoenix. Upperclassmen like Herbert and junior midfielder Travis Elliot-Knaggs, who had two goals against SCAD, have led the offensive attack, while freshmen like attack Conor Brody, who had two goals against Indiana Tech, have broken through and contributed as well.
One of the team’s top performers this season has been the man between the pipes, goalie Joey McLaughlin, a transfer from Saint Joseph’s University. The sophomore is currently ranked ninth in Division II with a 6.5 goals against average. McLaughlin has provided stability to a position in which Elon had two players graduate from in 2013.
The Phoenix not only lost graduating players this season but also head coach Steve Bailey, who is on sabbatical. Matt Ward has taken the reigns in 2014, and the transition has been much easier than expected, since Ward has been an assistant coach for the team for the past three seasons.
“I think [Ward] has done a really great job,” Kean said. “He knows the program and the players and has gotten a little more structure going, which is nice.”
McDonald echoed Kean’s comments, saying that the familiarity with Ward has made the switch easy.
“We’re used to [Ward’s] coaching style, and we respect him, so it wasn’t like a completely new guy came into it,” McDonald said. “And since the older guys showed him respect, the younger guys had respect for him right away.”
McDonald and Kean said the younger players on the team have been tremendously dedicated this season, more so than in past years.
“If these kids can stay together, I think they’re going to do really well,” McDonald said.
The team will play its next game after spring break against division foes the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Davidson College. Having a layoff of nearly a month — from March 9 to April 5 — is a challenge for any team, but Kean said the team will be ready when the time comes to play UNC Charlotte April 5.
“We’re aware that we are taking a little bit of time off so it’s really important, especially with spring break in the middle, that we come back that first week ready to work and keep producing wins,” Kean said.
The team’s rise in the rankings is something the players enjoy and pay attention to, but McDonald said they will not let the rankings get in the way of the team’s ultimate goal: to win the conference and travel to regionals.
“It’s a big number, and it’s great. But I won’t be happy until we’re No. 1,” McDonald said.
Elon has four regular season games remaining, the next being the April 5 game against UNC Charlotte. The game is tentatively scheduled to be played at Rhodes Stadium. The Phoenix will then travel for games against Davidson and Coastal Carolina University before returning home to face Briarcliffe College to close the regular season April 13.