The players of the Men's Lacrosse team had a successful spring, and have a lot to celebrate in their many achievements, and standout moments, including going to playoffs,

Players who have contributed to this article:
Aaron Escobar, Senior - President
Wesley Hovatter, Graduate Student - Treasurer, Team Captain
Jackson Christopulos, Senior - Team Captain
Erik Rodriguez, Sophomore - Social Media Manager
Nicholas Kaletta, Junior - First-Year Player

The team, celebrating its 35th anniversary, faced many foes, and many of the team members talked about how their game-winning mentality had to be built in practice, in order to excel in-game.

A frequently used motto was that 'iron sharpens iron' meaning that excellent players produce excellent team-mates, both on and off the field. "I remind everyone that we are a family, and families can depend on each other. I ask them, 'Who's got my back?' and they respond, 'I got your back!' emphasizing that no matter what happens I'll be there to help them, and they'll be there to help me. " tells attackman Captain Jackson Christopulos. Backing up his captain, midfielder Nicholas Kaletta added "It continues with the guys on the sidelines actively talking and hyping up our guys on the field.  We make sure that no matter what the score may be, we have our teammate's backs".

The team used this mentality to create many memories this season, including victories against rivals, and standing up to tough foes.

This started with an early season win against Cal-Poly Humboldt, "Humboldt was an incredibly fun experience. Getting to have that first road trip with the guys and enjoying the fun of the hotel along with a dominating team win was something I'll never forget." Kaletta said. President Aaron Escobar reflected this sentiment, "Beating Humboldt 17-0 my junior year, and then 16-3 my senior year was really exciting, it showed the team at the time that we could really make it far if we just played with confidence".

Soon, other victories and tough competition emerged, with a big win against Cal-State Fullerton and a close loss to Westcliff University.

"I'm really proud of the team for its performance against Cal-State Fullerton", recounted defenseman Captain Wesley Hovatter, "Last year when we went down to play them it was a really tough game, at times we only had 10 players available to play, and I think the general consensus coming out of that game was that we could really stick it to them if we just had another chance. We got that chance this season and I'm glad to say we absolutely exceeded expectations". Christopulos added that "[The game against Westcliff] was a battle between David and Goliath. We took the game as an informal addition to our season and they were a team with several national team lacrosse players. We knew the outlook was grim but we came out strong and led the game for almost the whole game. Unfortunately, we lost the game, but it stood out as exemplary of what my team is capable of."

Of course, at the end of the day, the team had only one goal in mind: Playoffs. 

"My standout moment from the season was realizing we had clinched a playoff birth." recollected goalie Erik Rodriguez, a sentiment echoed by many on the team. "[The game against UC Santa Cruz] was a real "win and you're in" situation for playoffs, so being able to so convincingly whoop them was amazing," said Hovatter, "[We] banded together as a team to get the crucial wins we needed in order to make the playoffs" Kaletta added. Christopulos credited the berth to "our hard work at the end of the season".

Although the team, unfortunately, lost in the semi-finals of their playoffs, the team remains hopeful for the future. "We've worked really hard at recruiting new players, which I think will turn out well for future seasons," said Escobar. "My goal has always and will always be to get our team a national championship. While we didn't go all the way this year, we certainly have made progress towards that." said Hovatter.

The Spartan community is looking forward to the successes of next year's team already!