Mens LAX gearing up for next season

This article is originally from KSU Sentinel.

By Lucas Bigham

KSU Men’s Lacrosse is confident going into this season that they are going to be stronger than in previous seasons.

“We have all been playing together for two years now and it really shows,” said Isom White, club president for KSU men’s lacrosse. “The bonds between our teammates are pretty strong and it’s shown on the field.”

The Owls played a very successful spring 2009 season, just barely missing the Southeastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) Division II playoffs. They proved themselves to be one of the strongest teams in the division.

KSU was undefeated and on an 11-game winning streak until their final two games of the season.

Their final two opponents, Tennessee Wesleyan College and Emory University, defeated KSU, which knocked them out of playoff contention.

“The last two losses showed us that there is still a lot of work to be done,” White said. “This year we’ll be playing with a chip on our shoulder, which should get us over the play-off hump.”

Attacker Scott Schulze was named SELC Division II Offensive Player of the Year and joined his teammate Charles Roland, the club’s leading goal scorer, on the all-conference team. KSU’s defenseman Zach Statham was an honorable mention for the all-conference team. “That was a huge accomplishment for me,” Schulze said.

The club was also honored to have their head coach Ken Byers named SELC Division II Coach of the Year. Byers was an integral part of the team’s success and helped to reunite them after missing the playoffs.

“[Byers] led this team to that outstanding record,” White said. “He never let us lose our focus, and always pushed us to our limit.”

The Owls’ attack will be led by Schulze and Brian Broe. Both of these players held the team high in assists last season with 13 each.  They will be joined by a powerful group of midfielders such as Charles Roland, Tim Minick and Justin McKay, who had nearly 60 goals combined last season.  Look to these individuals to keep the scorekeeper busy all season.

The defense will be led by Zach Statham and Murray Webb, a transfer from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.

The goalies will be Noah Rosenblum, the first out-of-state scholarship recipient from Tallahassee, Fla., and Scott Mathews.

KSU is looking forward to playing the University of Georgia in the fall and Georgia Tech in the spring. They are also confident against Emory University and Tennessee Wesleyan College. “[Tenn. Wesleyan] should be a complete breeze for us,” Schulze said.

This upcoming season, the team will have the luxury of playing in the new club sports facility on Busbee Parkway.

“We have brand new turf fields, lights, bleachers and a brand new workout facility,” White said. “The lacrosse team loves to have fans and we hope to have more supporters come out and cheer us on.”