Sonoma State Opens Fall with Win Against DVC

 Article Credit: Natalya Swensen Staff Writer for Sonoma State Star 

The Sonoma State men’s club lacrosse team has been working extremely hard this preseason to get ready for spring. Their home game on Saturday, Sept. 21, against Diablo Valley College ended with an 18-14 win for Sonoma State.

Sophomore Sean Kenneally’s greatest takeaway from the game was that even though there is a lot that could be improved, there is a lot of room for growth and potential for the team. Kenneally said, “I think the overall tenacity and effort was through the roof the whole game. It was great to get everyone’s legs off and running in a real game for once.” 

Ryan Hampton, number 16 and president of the men’s lacrosse team, also saw a need for improvement after the game, but overall was happy with how the game turned out. He said, “I believe the number one thing we did well as a team is that we played as one unit. Regardless if it was offense or defense, everyone played as a single unit.” Hampton continued his statement when he said, “Coach Hewitt always stresses that anything great is worth working for and I think we have proven that today.” 

Last season did not end up the way that many of the players would have hoped, but they are looking to improve this coming season. Hampton is keeping last seasons losses in the past knowing that there is nothing they can do to change that, but is focusing on excelling in the new season. 

Preseason for the Lacrosse team has been very different compared to previous years. The team had a tendency to focus predominantly on skill development, but this year the team is making the time and putting in the effort to focus more on game plans. They plan to develop more plays and to start playing more intelligently on the field to prepare for their competitive spring season. The team also plans on implementing more weights and conditioning throughout the year in order to stay in good shape.

Joey Piombo, senior and captain, said that this season they are focussing on building a better team. “We want to work hard and get better every day as well as staying positive and enjoying the journey that is the spring season.” 

Piombo was happy with their win on Saturday, but thinks the team needs to keep building.  He said, “I thought that we closed out the game well and we won the majority of the face offs which helped our possession time a lot.” 

The Sonoma State men’s lacrosse team has been able to recruit a lot of new members for the team this year. They also have a new coaching staff that has been making major positive changes for the team. They are more organized and more motivated than ever to compete against some of the best teams.

The players are excited for the new season and are willing to put in the time and effort that it takes to be a winning team for this upcoming spring season.