Ellie LaFountain
ellafountain@ursinus.edu
Although the Men’s Lacrosse Team had to stay on campus over spring break this year, they made a great showing in their games and finished their season undefeated. The Bears played in two home games over the week in March when other Ursinus teams were training in Florida or the Carolinas.
The Bears began their action early on with a game on Saturday, March 7th against Illinois Wesleyan. They started out the game incredibly strong with an 18-2 lead and were able to get points from an impressive 14 different players. Although many of the Bears saw success in the game, it’s impossible to ignore Bobby McClure’s new milestone: joining the 200-point club. This is an accomplishment that only 23 players have reached in Centennial Conference history.
McClure said, “It feels humbling to be in a group of people to achieve that. I give thanks to all of those who have helped me in my career and for the coaches who are here now.”
Joining McClure with a hat trick against Wesleyan were Ben Minardi and Alexander Dean. Minardi, a senior, is also off to a great start this season with an impressive 16 goals, a showing on SportsCenter’s Top 10, and being named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III Team of the Week.
Minardi commented on his awards, saying, “It’s a surreal feeling being where we are now, as a top-six team in the country. It’s been a lot of fun and we’ve received a lot of recognition so far, but I truly think, for all of us, our main wish is to continue playing and winning together.”
After a few days of practice, the Bears saw their first night game under the lights at Patterson with a 7pm game on Wednesday the 11th. The Bears matched up against Stockton and struggled for the first three quarters. They played at a deficit for almost the entirety of the game, including a 7-12 score at one point. However, in the final quarter the Bears proved their determination and fought back for an unlikely 14-13 win. The game-winning goal honors went to sophomore Tommy Reinhart, who was assisted by McClure and Sachs in an impressive turnover, bounce pass, and strong shot on goal.
It is important to recognize sophomore goalkeeper Chris Porzelt, who was a major contributor to this team’s 7-0 record. Porzelt did an impressive job filling the shoes of 2019 graduate Nick Kirk. After seeing action in just two games last season, he did a great job in transitioning into the role of starting goalie for the Bears. Porzelt made a combined 18 saves in the spring break games.
When I asked about his incredible improvement from last year, Porzelt said “It began last year after our loss to Springfield in the second round of NCAA’s. Seeing how upset the seniors were after playing their final game and knowing that we had the potential to do great things really motivated me to do everything in my power to make a difference this past year.”
Porzelt believed this year the team was out to prove something, “The seniors are determined to show the country that last year wasn’t just a fluke and the common goal of winning was well represented by each member of our team.” They didn’t get a chance to complete this mission, but they certainly did well with the chance they had.