In the opening moments of a boxing match, two fighters often circle each other, dancing nervously and waiting for their opponent to strike. The moment inevitably comes when one gloved hand strikes out, connecting with flesh and initiating the violence to come.
Over the course of three Spring Break matchups, Head Coach Sean Woods’ Tigers often found themselves the recipient of this first punch.
Specifically in the Tigers’ opening bout against Roanoke College in Salem, Va. on March 18, the Tigers failed to come out in fighting form and fell to the DIII powerhouse 18-8.
Following the tough loss, Woods’ squad was faced with an impasse of identity. The loss dropped the Tigers to a respectable 6-2 overall, but games against Stevens Tech and Babson College loomed large for the Tigers heading forward. Following the game, Woods and his coaching staff met with senior leadership and the rest of the team to discuss what needed to change.
“We had kind of a heart-to-heart about what’s really important and what we need to do to be successful and beat those good teams,” said Woods. “We’re not at their level yet, to play and beat those teams you’ve got to do a lot of the little things perfectly.”
Senior captain and goaltender Jack Roos said, “We’ve had a couple big losses this year and that makes some room for reflection. We can take a deep look at what our identity is as a team.”
Specifically, Woods said his team needed to, “Play a little tougher, focus on ground balls, kind of hustle plays.” The Tigers used the defeat at the hands of Roanoke as a catalyst for their next two games. “We played really hard and really unselfish against Babson and it definitely paid off,” said Woods.
On March 20, the Tigers took down Babson College in convincing fashion, 10-3.
The Tigers were led by four goals from senior midfielder Henri Halle and 16 saves from junior goaltender Chase Murphy.
Woods was particularly impressed with Murphy’s performance against Babson. “He has had a lot of really excellent games in his career,” said Woods. “[Murphy was] an All-American as a freshman and has had all sorts of success, but I would say that was one of his best outings he’s ever had.”
On the heels of a decisive victory over Babson, the Tigers dropped a tight game to Stevens Institute of Technology on March 22. The Tigers were once again hampered by a slow start. “Our team is really streaky,” said Halle. “So if we don’t get that first goal or a goal within a couple of theirs, then the energy starts to go down.” After the first half, the team headed to the locker room in a 6-1 hole.
“A lot like we did against Roanoke we came out sort of on our heels,” said Woods. “Sort of looking to see what they are all about. Once again we sort of fell into that trap.” Halle attributed the slow start in part to a novel double-pole defense employed by Stevens. Stevens Tech elected to play two long-pole defensemen on Halle and fellow midfielder Taylor Paul. “It stalled our offense a little bit because we’re primarily a midfield-dodging and initiating team,” said Halle.
Despite a slow start, the Tigers returned to the field with a new sense of urgency. “It looked like a new team,” said Woods. “We were rejuvenated and we understood what we needed to come back into that game.”
Led by Halle, senior midfielder Dylan Davie, and junior defenseman Tim Jenkins, the Tigers clawed their way back into the game. Jenkins was particularly key on the defensive end, forcing five turnovers and snagging five ground balls.
Senior captain Jack Roos replaced junior Chase Murphy in the second half, following a first-half injury to Murphy. With a chuckle, Woods describes Roos as “the best backup goalie in the country. He would start for anyone in the country besides us.” Roos has played an important role this year for the Tigers, also replacing Murphy in a Feb. 28 victory against Mesa State University. Roos said that he was able “to flip a switch and make some saves” in his relief role for Murphy. Roos made eight saves for the Tigers.
Following a goal by Eric Neumeyer, the Stevens Tech lead stood at a manageable 6-4 with 6:45 left to play in the game. However, this was as close as the Tigers would come to a lead, eventually falling 8-6.
Woods certainly sees lessons to learn from the road trip’s losses. “To beat a team like Roanoke or Stevens, which are national spotlight teams, we need to win the hustle plays, and our execution needs to match our effort,” said Woods. “All those things need to take place to beat a great team.”
The trip also allowed for more team cohesion. “We could mesh more as a team,” said Roos. “When we’re at school, everyone has a lot of commitments outside of lacrosse, but on road trips we don’t have to do anything but play and hang out.”
Going forward for the Tigers, starting fast and aggressive is a key concern for Woods and his staff. To remedy slow starts, Woods says it’s important to view practice as a game, having four distinct quarters. Roos said, “Historically in my time here we’ve had a trouble starting slow, and I think that treating everyday as a game day has really helped us show up more in the first quarter.”
Losing two of three games in a crucial road trip for the Tigers has created “a sense of urgency” according to Roos. The team now stands at 7-3 heading in the stretch run of the season. The Tigers will look to win out the remaining five games of their season to secure a bid to the National DIII Tournament.
Woods’ squad will travel to California April 10 through 12 to take on Whittier College, a historic rival, and Carthage College.