After practicing the entire winter inside the Kiewit Fitness Center’s tile gym floor, the Creighton University lacrosse team has moved from converted basketball courts to actual fields for its first games of the year.
The difference in surfaces made the first two games of the spring season of an adjustment period as they started the season 1-1. The Jays lacrosse team opened with a 10-7 victory over Carleton College, using a 6-1 fourth quarter advantage to earn the victory. The second game of the season faced the Bluejays against the long-time rival University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The game ended in a loss in overtime.
Senior Alex Boschulte isn’t sure the 1-1 start is a fair representation of where the team will be at the end of the year.
“We are 1-1, but this is no projection of how the season will turn out. We have new guys on the team, and it takes a few games to get used to playing on a new team. In time, I know we will mesh well and our team will be great,” Boschulte said.
The team will travel to Minnesota this weekend for one of their most anticipated road trips of the year. The Jays will square off against St. Johns University (Minn) and North Dakota State on Friday and Saturday respectively. The Johnnies started the preseason polls ranked number four, and Creighton senior Michael Carmody is excited to use this weekend as a measuring point.
“We are very much looking forward to the Minnesota trip this weekend where we will play St. John’s. This trip will show us how we compare to the top teams in our division,” Carmody said.
Boschulte, Carmody and others provide the team with experience on the attack, however, parts of the midfield and defense still lack experience. Junior goalkeeper Kevin Wiederin acknowledges that his defenders are young, but he is already starting to feel comfortable with them.
“We have a great deal of experience at the attack position, with all starters being seniors,” said Wiederin. “After last season we expected to be depleted on defense after losing two of four starters, but several newcomers have stepped in and done a great job so far.”
The Jays will have to excel in all aspects of the game if they want to accomplish some of their season goals of winning their conference tournament and qualifying for the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association national tournament. The Bluejays have been unable to accomplish these goals in recent years, but with two games down and 12 to go in the regular season, the team has some time to make adjustments before the season winds down.
The Jays are coached by Will Gilner, a Maryland native who played college lacrosse for Northwestern University. Gilner went on to coach lacrosse for the Wildcats before becoming Creighton’s coach eight years ago. Gilner’s experience and help does not go unnoticed by his players.
“He is not overly critical but offers a lot of advice because he has been a part of the game for so long. Although practices are somewhat relaxed, when it comes to game time there is no joking around,” Carmody said.
Gilner realizes that his players are balancing the sport they enjoy while also trying to take care of their academic responsibilities. Balancing lacrosse and school is undoubtedly a time consuming task; however, Carmody feels the lessons learned carry over off the field, whether it be a tile court or the green grass of Kellom Field.
“Everyone on the team knows that school comes first, but with that said everyone on the team also gets their work done so they can come to practice and games. We try and give guys enough time to do their schoolwork but we all learn time-management skills so we can get everything done and still play,” Carmody said.