Update! And an overdue one at that...

I must apologize! It has been a fairly busy semester for me and I'm sorry for not updating this blog more often!

I'm sure you are all wondering the updates for the season so far. After all, the Johnnies have played three games since my last post from a quaint little hotel room in Barrington, Ill.

The three things you need to know about the team so far:

Upperclassmen leadership, underclassmen dramatic improvement and a strong desire to win fueled by positive influence from Coach Daehn and captains.

Let's touch on those three things quickly...

Upperclassmen Leadership

Oh yes. Upperclassmen are outnumbered by the underclassmen this year for the Johnnies. However each of these seniors and juniors have stepped up into a leadership role and done it well. Regardless if they hold a title like "captain" or "officer", the upperclassmen are showing up to practice each night with a strong desire to make it to Denver and helping the underclassmen get better.

Underclassmen Dramatic Improvement

Speaking of the underclassmen getting better...wow. The difference between last year and this year is as clear as night and day. Even the difference between fall ball and the spring season is a testament to the team listening and applying the lessons taught by Coach Daehn and the captains. Some underclassmen came in slightly nervous and shy. Now their confidence is seen and quite obvious on and off the field. Not over-confidence, but the confidence that they are an important member on this team and they mean to win every game they suit up for the Johnnies.

A Strong Desire to Win

Is this team focused! Losing is not an option for this team. Giving up is not an option for this team. An at-large bid is not an option for this team. They are obsessed and extremely driven to win their fifth UMLL Division II title in six years and earn a trip to the MCLA National Tournament in Denver in May. The Johnnies were down by three goals with two minutes left in the fourth quarter against Carthage College (NCAA DIII). A speech by Coach Daehn and the captains, three quick goals, strong man-down defense and a heroic overtime goal by midfielder Brandon Brinkman (Jr.) sent the Johnnies storming the field to celebrate an 11-10 overtime victory of an NCAA DIII lacrosse team.

If you have yet to see this team play this year, you will be surprised. The Johnnies have gotten offense from everywhere with many scorers. Looking at a score sheet at the end of the game it would be hard to pick a "game MVP" with everyone on the team contributing. It is hard to single out one specific stand out for the Johnnies this year because of the depth that has been developed throughtout fall ball and these few games at the beginning of the year.

Now to catch up on the games...

SJU (MCLA DII) @ Carthage (NCAA DIII)

The Johnnies played a tough game and got their first true test of the season when they played Carthage College in Barrington, Ill. Carthage, a NCAA DIII team, was certainly going to bring their best and they were well prepared for the Johnnies. SJU was missing several upperclassmen and starters for the game including: Michael Freeman (Sr., Defense) due to illness; Ryan Bailey (Jr., Midfield) due to a family wedding; Sam Farrington (Jr., Attack) due to injury; Michael Burgeson (Jr., Attack); Matt Draxler (So., Attack); and Tony Donna (So., Defense). However the remaining upperclassmen along with the help from a lot of underclassmen stepped up and took care of business.

The game was very close with many lead changes and ties. The Johnnies hit a rough patch and with two minutes remaining they trailed Carthage by three goals. Coach Daehn emphatically told the team that it "could win this game" and the Johnnies took the field with a fiery determination. They netted three goals and killed off a few penalties in the last three minutes to send the game to overtime.

In overtime the Johnnies were forced to kill off another penalty. The man-down defense and the excellent performance in net by Joe Nelson (Jr.) proved too much for Carthage as they could not find a way to score. After a possession and timeout by the Johnnies, captain Brian Strauss (Sr., Attack) found Brandon Brinkman (Jr., Midfield) who fired a shot past the Carthage netminder to win the game for Saint John's. The Johnnies stormed the field and celebrated an exciting win in front of a great crowd in Barrington, Ill.

A special thanks goes out to the Burgesons who hosted the Johnnie laxers for a delicious lasagna dinner on gameday. Thank you very much for the dinner and the hospitality! It was very appreciated and a great reminder that this is one giant Johnnie Lax family!

SJU @ Bethel and Augsburg @ SJU

The Johnnies traveled down to Ames, Iowa. for a weekend to play two conference games against Bethel and Augsburg. The starters were able to sit out after the first or second quarter which gave a lot of lower lines including underclassmen a chance to get some playing time. Goaltenders Stu Van Ess (Jr.) and James Darcy (So.) split time in net and combined to only allowed nine goals the entire weekend. The Johnnie offense received help all around and got scoring from everyone as Saint John's were able to pump in 16 goals in both games.

A special thanks goes out to Iowa State University for hosted the UMLL teams for the weekend and the UMLL for putting on a great weekend packed with lacrosse!!!


IF YOU HAVE ANY PICTURES OF THESE GAMES PLEASE EMAIL ME!!!
mamurakami@csbsju.edu


As this post is getting fairly long, I will post other blog entries with a recap of the season so far including some statistics and also a preview for the season to come!


- Mike Murakami
SJU Class of 2010
Webmaster, and Communications Officer