After our Alumni/Intra Squad Game, we got right back after it, with another solid week of practice and our first film session of the season. The weather was beautiful and the Lions made some good strides, working on improving some of the problems we had during the game.

As the practice week went on, we spent increased time on installing some plays, sets, movements and defensive schemes. We have a lot of players who are new to the team, and there is a a fair amount for them to learn. I thought we made good progress with all of it, and was eager to see it in play on Sunday (yesterday), when we would travel to the University of New Haven for a Fall “Play Day”, where we would play three mini games against actual opponents.

It was a beautiful day for lacrosse and we made great time, driving up to New Haven. Our first game was against the Dominican University Chargers. They are a good team and a familiar foe, as we have played them many times during fall, in the past. It is good for us to play them, since they employ a “backer zone” defense, which is something we will see during our conference schedule in the spring.

Our next game was versus Pace University. Pace has become a National Powerhouse, and actually won the Dvision II National Championship, two years ago. They play a super aggressive ‘backer zone” defense and have a large roster of talented athletes.

Our final match up was with the host Chargers, of New Haven. They play man to man defense and like our team, have a good number of new players, this year. They have been a top twenty type of team for a pretty long time, and they always provide a tough test.

They don’t keep score at this event (though I am sure some people do so, on their own), so I cannot say who “won or lost” any of the games. That is not really what we were concerned with. We wanted to see our team compete against strong competition. In that regard, I think we were mostly pleased. There were plenty of mistakes, but there were also plenty of bright spots. I think we played our best game against Pace, who was the strongest team, there, so that was encouraging. It was a great opportunity for us to see where we are at, individually and collectively. What did we do well? What do we have to improve upon? Overall, it was a positive first day of competition, definitely something we can build on.

While the drive to New Haven took about an hour and a half, with no traffic problems, the return trip, was the exact opposite. It took 2 hours and 45 minutes to get back to Molloy! So many traffic jams and the setting sun, in your eyes most of the way – not pleasant, at all. Still, for me at least, the long trek back, did not spoil a good day for our team. We are off to a good start and making progress. We watched some film, this morning and will be back to practice Wednesday, when we start getting ready for our next “play day” at Dominican, for three more games, this Saturday.

Go Lions!