The UNF lacrosse club is not like most teams on campus. They don’t have the fanfare such as the basketball or baseball team, whose combined twitter followers outnumber them by 6,763, but they’re growing.
Students might hear about them through idle chatter on the way to their cars, or they might notice a UNF lacrosse hoodie out of the corner of their eye in class.
UNF’s lacrosse team was founded in 2008 as a club. After years of ups and down, the club started its rebuilding process with new players and new coaches.
They practice beneath bright lights on the lot behind the Crossings residence hall, where they develop their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
Lacrosse has gained increasing popularity, especially in the United States. All players need are netted sticks and a rubber ball that can fit in the stick’s basket. The main rule is players can’t touch the ball with their hands. That all seems easy until the tiny ball is being flicked at you, and your first reaction is to reach out with your hands to catch it.
Just as in other sports, there are positions in lacrosse: goalie, midfielders, defenders and attackers. By working together, a team can dominate while they glide up and down the grassy field with their sticks in hand.
UNF’s team is made up of 25 young men, most of whom are underclassmen. Lars Anderson, a senior sports management major, joined the team during its 2013 reboot.
“Since 2013, we had the best seasons that we’ve had in program history,” Anderson said. “We played better competition than we ever played in program history, and then we had more participation from students than we ever had in history.”
Last season, the club had to travel away from campus for most games, earning the respect of other lacrosse clubs in the state. The team has not only faced Embry-Riddle and the College of Charleston on the road, but they defeated them.
UNF lacrosse finished 2015 with a 8-4 record, and will host an alumni game Saturday at UNF to kick-off the 2016 season.
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