Men’s Lacrosse Team Fully Prepared for Spring Season

For Liberty’s lacrosse team, the unexpected events this spring didn’t just cut their season short. It ended a chance at another potential playoff run for a team consistently ranked in the MCLA top 10 – and now the Flames are working to rebuild the foundation they established last year. 

“It was very disappointing,” attack man sophomore Mark Rolewicz said. “We were two days away from going on our spring break trip to Florida – about to get on a bus. To hear our season was cancelled, it was gut wrenching.”

Head Coach Kyle McQuillan also expressed his disappointment at the unexpected season ending.

“It was horrible,” McQuillan said. “We were on a good start, 6-0, and I felt we had the best team we’ve had in program history. … For a lot of guys, especially for our seniors last year, five of them that didn’t come back, it was their last game and they didn’t even know it.”

While the abrupt ending of a season was heartbreaking, the team has utilized the experience as a reminder to be grateful for the next season, whenever that may be.

“I think we’ve been able to gain some perspective for it,” McQuillan said. “What we’ve tried to practice and teach our guys is to be grateful for the opportunity, grateful for the chance to play lacrosse.”

The COVID-19 regulations eliminated the possibility of scrimmaging other teams. Since some colleges opted to not play sports at all during the pandemic, the number of opponents has been reduced. 

COVID-19 regulations also limited the team to two practices a week and reshaped its workout regimen. 

“We can only have 50% of the guys in the locker room at one time,” McQuillan said. “We usually lift as a team, but now we’ve got to separate that out.”

Regulations have even put a damper on team gatherings outside of practice.

“We’ve only had the opportunity to get together as a team for a team meeting one time because we need a space that is large enough,” McQuillan said. 

In spite of the lack of team meetings, the players believe that this group will connect well.

“We’ve had seven weeks of practice and the boys are honestly buzzing,” sophomore goalie John Pryor said. “We’re bonding really well on and off the field, and it’s showing up in how we play.”

Because of the pandemic, some players have an extra year of eligibility, giving the Flames an experienced core to continue building on this season.

“It was motivating because this year we have an opportunity to get some of the guys that we couldn’t have gotten back to come back,” Rolewicz said.

Even with the various challenges of a year defined by COVID-19, the lacrosse team’s coaching staff has worked hard to make sure their players are taken care of off the field just as much as on it. 

“The leadership’s awesome,” Rolewicz said. “Our coaches care so much about us, both how we play on the field and more importantly our spiritual life. They’ve done a lot this year specifically with our spiritual life and help us grow in our faith because that’s ultimately why we’re playing is to glorify God.”

Through the ups and downs of the past few months, Liberty men’s lacrosse is prepared and ready to push forward when competition resumes in 2021. 

“With all the practices we’ve had, it’s getting us more prepared than a lot of other schools around the country,” Rolewicz said. “It’s going to give us an advantage which will definitely help us in the spring.”

Christian Shields is a Sports Reporter.