By Tommy Valentine, Staff Writer
The stage was set last Sunday for the St. Bonaventure men’s lacrosse team to notch its first-ever win at the NCAA Division I level. The Bonnies returned 28 players from their 38-man roster from 2019, while adding a talented incoming class of freshmen. They had the dazzling venue locked down – the Buffalo Bills training facility; a field never-before played on by two NCAA Division I teams. They even had home-field advantage after having to travel to Saint Joseph’s University last season. And most importantly, they had a season of experience under their belts.
The only thing missing from last Sunday’s season opener was a win.
While it wasn’t the disappointing opening game Bonnies fans witnessed last year, when High Point University tuned them up 13-0 in North Carolina, it certainly wasn’t an ideal start to the season either.
Despite a pair of Jake Rosa goals in the first quarter, the Bonnies fell behind early, trailing 6-2 at the first break.
The Bonnies did step up their play in the second frame. A quick 2-0 burst at the outset of the quarter brought Bonaventure back within two goals. However, a subsequent 3-0 run from St. Joe’s neutralized the comeback attempt, and a last-second goal from Cian Collins evened up the scoring in the quarter. The Bonnies trailed by four heading into halftime.
The second half was quieter offensively on both sides. Coach Mearns’ bunch netted just three goals in the remaining 30 minutes of game action, while the Hawks added six more to their halftime tally, resulting in a 15-8 final; one goal better than last year’s outing in Philadelphia.
For the 14th straight game, St. Bonaventure came up on the short end of the scoreboard. While the wait continues for that elusive first victory, there were some positives to take away from Sunday’s loss.
Jake Rosa, the freshman midfielder from Windsor, Ontario, proved he is ready to take charge of the offense this year. Rosa turned heads with a four-goal performance, which led him to being crowned the MAAC rookie of the week. After being the lone source of scoring in the first quarter, Rosa was back at it again in the second, opening the frame with his only assisted goal on the day. He notched his team-high fourth goal with 8:02 to play in the third quarter. Of Rosa’s four goals, three were unassisted.
Despite the ability of Rosa to make magic happen on his own, he still had to credit his teammates for his success.
“The guys on my team had my back throughout the whole game,” said Rosa. “They did a great job of moving around and helping to get me open.”
Rosa wasn’t the only star shining brightly for the Bonnies inside the ADPRO Sunday afternoon.
Sophomore Sean Westley, an attackman from Whitby, Ontario, chipped in three points; good for second on the team behind Rosa. Westley, the team’s leading returning scorer, picked right up where he left off last year, registering two assists and one goal. Westley was also the best passer for the Bonnies in 2019 with 13 assists, and he’s on his way towards shattering that total this season.
With one year already under his belt, Westley has seen his confidence grow exponentially. That newfound confidence has allowed him to begin to take on a leadership role; a role even more vital for a team littered with underclassmen.
“I feel I’m being more vocal on the offensive side of the ball. I’m just kind of trying to quarterback the offense,” said Westley. “I think everyone has to kind of step up as a leader, just because we have so many sophomores…but now we are a year older and a year stronger…so I think for sure, I do feel some type of responsibility to be a leader.”
Westley was undeniably discouraged about the outcome of the season opener, but he wasn’t shy to praise his team for what he saw them improve upon from last year.
“Offensively we were a lot more organized. Defensively, you could tell we were just a year older. It was pretty clear that we were just a lot more poised and confident on both sides of the ball,” said Westley.
The challenge now for the Bonnies is preparing to embark on a seven-game road trip that will cover five states, six including a road contest in Canisius, over the course of six weeks. For a team in just their second season competing on the NCAA circuit, not playing a home game until March 28 is a grueling task.
But a confident Rosa, spoken unlike a typical freshman, believes it won’t be long until the team gets the monkey off their backs.
“I think we have a really good chance of winning [on Saturday],” said Rosa. “It’d be great to get the first program win here, and I think Saturday’s a great opportunity for us to go and do that.”
The game Rosa eluded to is a matchup with Bellarmine University tomorrow in Louisville, Kentucky. The Knights are 1-2 on the year, fresh off a 21-5 win against Hampton University Tuesday night. Opening face-off inside Owsley B. Frazier Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
valenttr19@bonaventure.edu
