Ben Goetz is a graduating senior on the Men’s Lacrosse team. Over his four years, Ursinus has fielded some of the best teams in school history. Even though the 2019 and 2020 seasons were cut short, Goetz was still able to experience a conference championship his freshman year. Ben was able to achieve second team all-conference honors as a defenseman. Before he stepped off Patterson field one last time, I was able to talk to Ben about his experience here at Ursinus as a collegiate athlete. Here is how our conversation went:
James: How would you describe your overall experience here on the Lacrosse Team?
Ben: My experience on the men’s lacrosse team has been nothing but joyful and honestly made my life at this school 1,000 times better.
James: The last couple of years have cut multiple seasons short, do you ever think about “what could have been” in those seasons lost?
Ben: For sure, in sophomore year when Covid hit we had our best team in the school’s history and we never got to finish it out after going undefeated out of conference.
James: Did the previous two seasons lost make you hungrier for a full season this spring?
Ben: For sure, it made me hungry to play a full season but it also kind of relaxes you. Just knowing that we’re going to have a full season where we get that normal schedule of Wednesday Saturday games for a few months and it’s easier to enjoy the little things now that we have a full season.
James: What was the most rewarding part of your four years on the lacrosse team?
Ben: My most rewarding part over the past four years of the lacrosse team is just being a part of it. I’ve made some of my best friends through my four years, still in contact with all the older people I’ve lived with and another part that’s most rewarding would have to be knowing I get to go out every day with 54 of my best friends and compete side-by-side with them.
James: What have you learned from your time on the lacrosse team that will best prepare you for life after Ursinus?
Ben: It’s a pretty cheesy answer but how to deal with stress/uncontrollable circumstances. You never know what’s going to happen in a game or in practice or in life in general and lacrosse has helped me prepare myself to stay calm and work through problems rather than avoiding or running.
James: What will you miss most about lacrosse at Ursinus?
Ben: Having 3 1/2 hours with 50 different guys, talking about nonsense, hanging out and being able to just enjoy ourselves while playing the game we love. The relationships I’ve built and the relationships I won’t be able to make due to graduating are what I will miss the most.
For a person that is still actively on the job hunt, I am rather surprised that a person with this much passion has not been offered top dollar yet. The time that Ben spent here at Ursinus was made better from being a part of the Men’s Lacrosse Team. With all of these team-oriented answers, it is no surprise about the success the Lacrosse Team is having this season. I am lucky enough to call Ben a friend of mine, and I believe that his work ethic and team passion will set him up for nothing but success in the near future.