The Sonoma State Lacrosse club team fought hard but came up short against San Diego State this past Saturday. They played their home game at Sunrise Park which sits less than a mile from campus and put up a great fight against the Aztecs who are now 3-1.
The Seawolves came into this game looking for redemption as they lost their matchup with the Aztecs last year with a score of 17-7. The team got off to a slow start this time around by scoring three goals and allowing seven by halftime. Halftime brought new life and great energy to the team and they outscored SDSU five goals to four in the second half but ultimately lost with a final score of 11-8. There were many times throughout the game when it looked as if the Seawolves were going to come out on top but in the end, it was the Aztecs who were able to seal the deal. The team
One of the captains, Casey Hoops, was asked about how their team can succeed better. He talked about how leadership from his co-captain Michael Trujillo as well as from the other older guys on the team really predicts their success this year. He said, “We have a number of returning players and seniors that have both the experience and knowledge.” Hoops explained how this knowledge helps to orchestrate raw talent from some of the younger players they have. Out of the 30 guys on the roster, eight of them are juniors and eight of them are seniors. Hoops believes there’s nothing that can stop them if they play as a complete and cohesive team all four quarters.
A benefit of playing cohesively is better coordination offensively. Sophomore Mason Colaizzi is leading the team with 3.25 ppg(points per game) and he was asked about what has helped his proficiency on the offense. He said “The position I play is really oriented on how everyone does around me. So if they are playing well I can get open for easy goals.” Collazzi emphasized movement as the key to success offensively. This allows them to find openings in the opposing team’s defense and the boys have had lots of moments in games where they do that very efficiently.
The team recently narrowly lost to UC Santa Barbra with a score of 15-12. UCSB is the only remaining undefeated team in the WCLL(Western Collegiate Lacrosse League) and the Seawolves have shown in games like this that they are close. The Seawolves’ first few matchups included some highly ranked schools and Hoops said that those losses don’t alter their confidence.“The confidence that both our coaching staff and players have is still high.” The team feels that they are ready to compete with anyone.