Megan PellegrinoCabrini College men’s lacrosse players new and old gathered at the Edith Robb Dixon Field to play in the annual alumni game. All Cavalier lacrosse alumni were invited back on the turf to take on the 2009 team which will open its fifteenth season this coming spring.
The rain was coming down and the temperatures proved that autumn is here to stay. Despite the weather, the Dixon stadium was filled with alumni, parents, family, friends and students.
Nick Terlizzo, a 2006 alumnus, said, “It feels great to come back here and see what the school and program have become and where they’re going. Knowing you are in some way still part of this storied program feels good.”
Head Coach Steve Colfer, who is entering his tenth season at the helm, has built this program from the ground up. Just last season he reached his 100 career win and helped lead the team to its eighth consecutive PAC (now CSAC) championship.
“The alumni game is always fun,” Colfer said. “It has two purposes, to get the alumni back on campus to stay connected to the program, and for current players to get practice in playing against some good talent from the past, while working on some new things; this could be a great season, but we still have a lot of hard work to do. If we do that we have a lot to look forward to.”
Parents of both current and past players alike gathered together as if the game was a big family reunion. Joyce Grugan, mother of 2008 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American (USILA) Casey Grugan, said, “I love coming out and watching the team play, whether it be the alumni game or a regular season game. The organization is very close, the players and parents have a great comradery. It’s like a big family.”
“It’s great to see my son play against players of the lacrosse programs past,” Rose McSorley, mother of John McSorley, freshman special education major, said. “Everyone in the program from the coaches to the veteran parents have welcomed us. I am very proud standing here watching my son play for Cabrini. This school has been a great fit for John. He loves both the education and athletic aspects and he’s playing as a freshman. What more could I ask for?”
Playing in the 2008 alumni game were brothers Steve Hill, 2006 graduate and freshman business major, Brian Hill. The brothers, both native of Ridley, Pa. played lacrosse for the Ridley High School but never got the chance to play together. Here at Cabrini younger brother Brian will follow in older brother Steve’s footsteps.
The Hill brothers’ mother, Joan Hill, said, “This is a very fun and exciting game. We’ve been looking forward to it. Brian loves it here. He wanted to stay close to home and this was perfect for him. As he was growing up he watched Steve play here, so it’s neat to see them play against each other on this field.”
“Now we just gotta see if any of them can get a goal,” Rick Hill, the brothers’ father, said.
The 2008 PAC (now CSAC) player of the year Casey Grugan, junior business major and catalyst in capturing the team’s No. 6 ranking in the nation just last season, said, “It’s fun playing in this game, getting to see old players who have helped build the program, but at the same time you still have to get your work done. I feel this upcoming season has potential to be one of our best. We have 16 seniors coming back and a lot of returning players, there’s a lot of experience and leadership on this team.”
The game came to a close with a score of 11-7 where the 2009 team outlasted the Cavaliers of the past.
