The 2012 season is here and we wanted to work closely with college programs to bring a part of the excitement to you. Throughout the 2012 season we will highlight lacrosse programs on our space for all of our readers to follow. Player blogs serve as a unique outlet for programs to showcase their season as it develops, plus highlight everything they have to offer a student-athlete. In contrast, families and fans get a glimpse into the program’s athletic and academic regimen.
Ryan Snyder
Jr. – #22 – Midfield
Blog #5
It’s week 7 now, and the hype train continues to run through Bethlehem. With our team coming off a monumental spring break trip, the Yale game on Sunday was an opportunity to keep the momentum going. On the other hand, though, it had the potential to completely derail the buzz surrounding our program with a loss, an outcome a lot of people probably expected for us. The stakes were high, and the tensions between the Mountain Hawks and Bulldogs that have developed over the past two years set the stage for a highly anticipated matchup.
This anticipation was prevalent in practice throughout the week. We installed adjustments in our defensive systems to prepare for Yale’s talented offensive personnel. Guys stayed after practice every day to shoot. Being still the only kids on campus as the break wrapped up, lacrosse was only one thing the team had to focus on. In my three years at Lehigh, I’ve never seen the kind of energy and enthusiasm on the practice field that I did last week. Everyone was on board and wanted to keep the hype going.
Largely thanks to Adam Johnston’s acrobatics, we came out on top in Sunday’s hard fought game by a score of 11-7. Defense and goaltending continued to thrive. Dave DiMaria had another Tebow-esque performance as the offense’s quarterback…I know he secretly wishes he could be a Florida Gator. The sideline was amped up and supportive throughout the entire game. “Doing your job” has been a big point of emphasis for us this season, and on Sunday, all 47 guys did what they had to do to get the win.
After the game, guys headed to their respective porches in the “Tribeangle” to enjoy another success and the beautiful weather that Pennsylvania has been fortunate enough to see at this time in March. Mr. Gary Farha, father of junior Griffin Farha, even hung out with the guys for a little bit, which was a great contribution to the group. If only “Big Al” Hess, the man, myth, and legend himself, could have been there too.
After classes on Monday, we gathered in the locker room to watch the film of the Yale game. Noah Molnar and Tyson Souders were recognized as the players of the game for their strong efforts on defense. Matty Poillon was also recognized for being named Patriot League Goalie of the Week for the third time already this season…the kid is the truth.
There are a few other noteworthy updates about the team to make now that we’ve reached the halfway point in the season. In our warm-up, quad stretches are now called “quags” in honor of senior captain Blaise Fullen’s long awaited emergence from the swamp. Just about everyone on the team has made his way off the injury reserve thanks to the daily efforts of our trainer, Jess Stillwell. Former #34, after three and a half hard fought years, finally found his way out of the friend zone...the rest of the guys are already booking their trips to Cali.
The fact that the season is halfway through presents another important landmark for our Lehigh team: Patriot League play is upon us. It’s almost as if one season has ended and another is about to begin…the one that matters. Going 6-1 through our first 7 games is surely a huge accomplishment for us, but none of those games had any impact on our underlying mission. Seeing our men’s basketball team win the Patriot League Championship last Wednesday helped reemphasize that mission for us, garnering even more excitement coming into this week then there had been in any weeks prior. Army comes to Bethlehem on Saturday, and all this team cares about now is going 1-0 on the weekend.