Schedule for Spring 2024 Men’s Lacrosse season.
MANHATTANLAX/INSTAGRAM
By Elizabeth Kalaj, Web Editor
Manhattan College Men’s Lacrosse (4-6, 4-1 MAAC) has changed the trajectory of their season with their three-game winning streak. The team’s goal has been to continue this hard work through the season, hopefully leading to a Championship title.
The team has proven itself over the last few weeks, clinching multiple wins, by as narrow as one point to as wide as a seven-goal difference. These Jaspers are hoping to keep this momentum going through the rest of the MAAC season.
Within this turnaround from where they started the season, there have been impressive performances from goalkeeper Connor Hapward, who collected 46 saves over the last three games, and attackman Kyle Gucwa, who stands at 11 goals and 8 assists over the last three games. As a result of these statistics, Gucwa and Hapward were named MAAC Players of the Week for two consecutive weeks.
The Quadrangle spoke to Gucwa and Hapward about what these accomplishments mean to them.
“While the Defensive Player of the Week award is in my name, I think it is a testament to our entire defense and furthermore, our team as a whole,” Hapward said. “I think it just shows how much we have come along as a team and how we have gelled together as MAAC plays have begun.”
Gucwa reaffirmed this message, giving credit to all the other players on the field that made these wins possible along with future goals from the team.
“There is a whole unit that has to come together to make these plays happen,” Gucwa said. “It is definitely cool to be recognized by our peers for these awards, but our eyes are on something way bigger – which is making it to the playoffs and then winning the MAAC Championship.”
The Quadrangle spoke to coach Doug Sage about the message and mindset going into these MAAC games after a rough start to the season.
“We challenge ourselves with a tough out-of-conference schedule every year, allowing us to play some of the top teams in the country,” Sage said. “By challenging ourselves, we gain confidence and I think we have started playing with this high level of confidence and belief in each other, allowing us to operate at the highest level possible, win or loss.”
On Wednesday, March 27, the Jaspers took a thrilling win against Quinnipiac, the 20th-ranked team in the nation, with a score of 15-12. Hapward spoke about this impressive win, along with his 12 saves during the game.
“While their ranking definitely was reflected within the game, it gave us a little more inspiration to get the win, but the message never really changed,” Hapward said. “They are one of our MAAC rivals and another team in the way of our goal, so we treated it like everyone else’s game and gave it our best effort, coming out on top.”
Three of the last four games played by the Men’s Lacrosse team had a goal differential of three or less. Gucwa recalled the game against Marist, in which the team had won by one goal.
“Throughout the season the team realized that we have to stick together and play the full sixty minutes,” Gucwa said. “During our fourth quarter timeout, everyone was calm, focused and confident and I think that mentality is just what has been helping us grind out these really close and unpredictable MAAC conference games.”
The Men’s Lacrosse team is scheduled to face the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) this coming weekend in Gaelic Park. They also have upcoming games against Long Island University (LIU), Siena College and Wagner College.
Sage believes that no matter the opposing team, the goal always remains the same among the Jaspers.
“Our goal is always to be 1-0 so we focus completely on the next game coming up,” Sage said. “We always say to ‘look through the windshield’ at the guys right in front of us, which is VMI this time.”
Sage shared some final thoughts that he typically shares with the team to keep them motivated throughout the season.
“It has always been our focus to look at one goal at a time, one quarter at a time, and one game at a time,” Sage said. “We just have to be one goal better than VMI tomorrow which will get us the one win we are focused on, leading to our big picture goal.”
Editor’s Note: Isaiah Rosario, Sports Editor, contributed to reporting for this story. Reporting took place ahead of the team’s matchup with Virginia Military Institute (VMI).