Men’s lacrosse looks to playoffs after comeback from 0-3 season start

Chapman’s men’s lacrosse team practices on the Holly & David Wilson Field April 14 in preparation for an April 19 home game against the University of Southern California. DANIEL PEARSON, Photo Editor

Of the 21 varsity athletic teams and eight club teams offered at Chapman, most of them are Division III; but the university’s men’s lacrosse team is an exception. Team members compete at a Division I level for the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) and pay $3,000 per year to secure a spot on the roster.

Midfielder Ethan Slade, a junior computer science major, told The Panther that having a love for the sport is crucial given the considerable financial commitment required to play. But Slade said there are definite pros to competing for a Division I club team, especially when it comes to traveling for games.

“We’re not affiliated with Chapman (sports),” Slade said. “Because if we were, for most of the DIII teams (we play against), we’d have to travel to the east coast, and that would be difficult.”

The Panthers hold their own in a March 18 home game against the Boise State Broncos, ultimately winning 15-5. Photo courtesy of Steve Core

Slade also mentioned that the team has been raising funds that will hopefully be utilized down the line for future lacrosse players who decide to join the program.

“We’ve got a fund — I think we’re at a little over $800,000 — and once this fund gets to $2.2 million, it’ll be self-replicating,” Slade said. “So that means no player will have to pay for dues, and we’ll get the gear (needed to compete) due to the interest that (the fund) makes.”

In the meantime, despite the current financial barrier to entry, team members are not deterred from competing at a high level. 

The lacrosse team is 7-5 on the season and has two games left against the University of Southern California (USC) and Concordia University Irvine (CUI). The team is coming off a dominating win this past April 10 against University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and defeated them 21-3.

Goalie Jason Bohlinger, a sophomore computer science major, said that a part of the men’s lacrosse team’s success came against playing a similar offense to that of UCLA and exploiting this during their matchup

“Even the names of the plays were similar, so they were calling out the play on the field, and I was like, ‘Oh, I know exactly what that means,’” Bohlinger said. “And I was directing my defense just to cover - (which is) exactly what we’ve been practicing all week.”

Bohlinger talked about the growth of the team over the course of the semester and noticed the team being able to hone in on team play rather than individual play.

Man down: Chapman’s men’s lacrosse team storms past a fallen Bronco at the March 18 match to score a goal. Photo courtesy of Steve Core

“We as a whole have been so much smarter and so much more careful and strategic in our entire game,” Bohlinger said. “In the fall (semester) we were more like just go around the field, have fun, do whatever, make some hero plays, score individual goals. And that’s not what our team is like at all anymore. So some huge improvements there.”

Freshman midfielder Jack Wirth, a business administration major, told The Panther that most of last year’s seniors have left the team, forcing underclassmen to step up their game.

He added that the team’s youth and inexperience contributed to a 0-3 start to the season, but The Panthers’ first three games came down to the fourth quarter. Now the team is 7-5, and Wirth said that there has been a progression in how settled the team is in these tight situations.

“All three of our first games were nail biters; in the fourth quarter, it came down to the last two minutes, and I feel like that’s really when nerves got to us and inexperience,” Wirth said. “At this point in the season, our mindset has changed a lot. And I think if we get into another one of those fourth quarter, end of the game (situations), I think we’re definitely gonna be able to pull it out.”

Slade pointed out that some of the athletes that have been leading the locker room are Aleks Bialek, Liam Nelson and Fran Bonadies.

Slade said that Nelson has shown his leadership through his play on the field, scoring 13 goals over the past two games, and Bonadies has brought a lot of personality to the team on top of sharing his knowledge of the game with fellow teammates. 

Bohlinger talked about his own connection with Bialek, who functions as Bohlinger’s backup goalie, and emphasized the invaluable mentorship Bialek has provided.

“(Bialek has) been my best friend throughout the entire process at Chapman, and he’s really been able to like help me and guide me and just talk to me about any things that I am having to deal with right now,” Bohlinger said.

With their next opponents being USC and CUI, Slade said that both teams will both offer tough challenges for their playoff push. He specifically noted that CUI has a highly competitive lineup of players this season and predicted that the USC match will be neck-and-neck.

“(USC is) going to be a good team and it’s going to be a one-goal game,” Slade said. “Everyone comes to show up to play Chapman; Chapman’s got its own name out there from previous years. No one comes to a game (at) Chapman and (is) like, ‘Yeah we’re just going to roll over and let them score 16 goals on us.’ No, that doesn’t happen … They’re gonna put up a good fight and we’re gonna see how it goes.”