Muhlenberg lacrosse looks to take charge in the Centennial Conference
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (BVM) 鈥� After a cut short 2020 season, the Muhlenberg Mules believe they will be picking up right where they left off last year.
The Mules are coming off an undefeated season last year and seek to continue this form. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was cut short and they only were able to play five games. In those five games, they managed to score 85 goals. The Mules seemed as if they鈥檇 be a contender to win the Centennial Conference if the season did not end early.
Four years prior, the team had a disappointing 2-12 regular season record. In his second season, head coach Jake Plunket was looking to reinvent the Mules and this led to a much more successful 2018 season.
The Mules took a 180 degree turn and finished with a regular season record of 11-7 in 2018 and 10-6 in 2019. A big help came from senior Ethan Grossman, who happens to be the all-time leading scorer for Muhlenberg lacrosse with 162 points for his career and 73 points in a single season (2018).
鈥淚 mean I take pride in it, but it鈥檚 also making the team better which is what matters most to me,鈥� said Grossman, who attributes his team鈥檚 culture, chemistry and hard work as reasons why the Mules have become conference title contenders.
鈥淲e have great team chemistry on and off the field,鈥� Grossman said. 鈥淎lso, we put in a lot of hard work in the offseason where everyone would be lifting and running to their hardest and all of that hard work benefits us come the spring.鈥�
It was difficult for the team to swallow not being able to complete their season in 2020 despite how well it was playing. The Mules鈥� last game was a 15-4 victory that came against Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Park.
鈥淲e鈥檝e come so far since Coach鈥檚 first season in 2016,鈥� senior midfielder Zach Cooper said. 鈥淚 thought that we were going to make the conference tournament for the first time in almost 15 years.鈥�
Coming into the 2021 season, the Mules are riding very high expectations.
鈥淲e鈥檙e expecting to win a Centennial Championship,鈥� Grossman said. 鈥淲e have a couple great sophomores and freshmen that just came in so I鈥檓 hoping that we can make a run. Last year, our season got cut short and we were playing very well offensively and defensively.鈥�
Along with Grossman, fellow senior attackman PJ Lombara and junior midfielder James Dalimonte are both coming off impressive 2020 seasons with 26 points between the two, and they鈥檒l look to continue their sharp form on offense for the Mules.
The Mules will be looking for contributions up and down the lineup including their two-star defensemen: junior Kyle Lando and senior Matt Hager. These two players are the anchors of a defense that led the Centennial Conference last season with a low of 7.40 goals against per game. That is a stat that the team would like to build off of coming into the new season.
The Mules are excited to finally suit up again for their first game in almost a year. However, senior defensive midfielder Cole Draghi believes it won鈥檛 come without some challenges.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 definitely going to be very strange in the beginning,鈥� Draghi said. 鈥淲e also haven鈥檛 met any of the freshmen, which will also be an adjustment. But every other team will be in the same boat which helps.鈥�
Fortunately for the Mules, the conference is expected to hold a longer preseason this year which should definitely be in Muhlenberg鈥檚 best interest for success. Although the team was not practicing together for a great deal of time, this didn鈥檛 prevent the players from improving.
鈥淚 think that we are more of a physical team over many others,鈥� Draghi added. 鈥淲e are constantly in the weight room trying to get bigger and stronger which is a key element to have in order to be successful in this sport.鈥�
