Shannon KeoughCavaliers, old and new, gathered together on Friday, Sept. 25 at the Edith Robb Dixon Field for the annual Cabrini College men’s lacrosse alumni game.
On the brisk autumn night, the current team beat the alumni 13-11 in the yearly battle.
Although it was just a fall ball match, the stands were packed with alumni, students, parents, family and friends for the yearly tradition.
All of the alumni were excited to be back on the field playing under the lights like their old college days.
“It felt good to be back,” Dan DeRosa, alumnus, said. “It was really good to hear coach Colfer’s voice again when I was running up and down the field.”
“It felt great to play against the people who I work with everyday,” Felice said. “We have a young, athletic squad this year and we have a lot of potential,” the assistant coach and alumnus, Brian Felice, said.
The annual alumni game is a great way for the former players to remain connected with the program and see how far it has grown since they played at Cabrini.
“The team looked good. The program continually progresses and hopefully this year they will continue to get better and better,” DeRosa said.
“They’re [the team] consistent and this year they should definitely be good,” Matt Conaway, alumnus, said.
No matter which alumni you talk to, it is obvious that they have high hopes for their former school, and they are continuing supporters of the growing program.
“It was good to be back on the field and see everyone again,” Casey Grugan, senior business major, said. “We still have a lot of work to do but we have a lot of potential for this season.”
The Cabrini men’s lacrosse team finished the 2009 season by claiming its ninth consecutive Colonial States Athletic Conference championship and appeared in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament for the eighth straight year. Along with their CSAC victory, the Cavs ranked No. 15 in the nation.
As a whole, the Cavs were very strong in the 2009 season. In addition to being strong as a team, current sophomore defenseman John McSorely was named Rookie of the Year for the 2009 season. In his freshman year, McSorely started in 18 games for the Cavs in the backline. His 48 groundballs and 35 caused turnovers ranked second on the team.
Along with McSorely, current senior attack Casey Grugan, earned first team honors for his junior year in 2009. In the 2009 season, Grugan set two single-season records, one for points and the other for assists. He scored a total of 96 points and collected 44 assists for the season.
Grugan was also named CSAC player of the year for the second consecutive season and he scored at least one goal in 54 straight games. With this accomplishment, he matched the 32-year-old Division III record.
Going into the 2010 season, the Cavs hope to capture another CSAC championship, while advancing even further in the NCAA tournament.
“We are very excited about this year,” Felice said. “If we are willing to work hard we’ll definitely be able to go far this season.”
