By: Colin Roemer

So the season has come and gone, an all too unfortunate ending for those involved with the program as we seemingly have just hit our stride, playing at the level we all knew we were capable of achieving.  A bittersweet ending for us seniors as we have endured a long and emotional four years full of ups and downs but also seemingly accomplished many of our goals this year such as setting this program in the right direction for the years to come. When our team was informed in the final weeks of last summer that we had found our new coach in Taylor Wray, we all knew that we were in for a major change.  Our seniors wanted to make sure that we set a standard for this program.  We wanted to be remembered as the class that began the transformation of Saint Joseph's Lacrosse.  Now that the season is complete, I can say with pride that our program is headed in the right direction.

Looking back at our year as a whole, our team meshed together better than any team I have ever had the privilege of being apart of. We were truly a team of characters, compiled of differing personalities that somehow found a way of working well together. By the end of our season we had earned 6 wins, which include an overtime win against Marist and our programs first ever CAA victory against Towson University.  Ending the season on a three-game win streak should help push the returning members of the program to work hard in the offseason, allowing them to reach higher goals next year.

Only time will tell if the standard that we tried to set for our program becomes the norm.  Only time will tell if all the work that we put forth this year will continue in the years to come, allowing Saint Joseph's Lacrosse to reach its potential and blossom into what we all have truly desired. I am truly honored to have been given an opportunity to be apart of this program. I, along with the members of my graduated class, look forward to watching this team develop and compete in years to come. With a great group of guys returning next season, matched with the effort I am sure they will put forth, the future looks extremely bright for Saint Joseph's Lacrosse.

Go Hawks!

By: Kyle Bruun

As the first freshman to post on this blog I would just like to say how much I have enjoyed being on this team thus far. From the seniors down, I think I speak for the entire freshman class when I say that the team has embraced us and made us feel at home from Day 1. We have become a really tight knit group, and as we move past the half-point of the season we realize our time left with one another is limited and we want to make the most of it.

This weekend we have a long road trip and overnight stay in Massachusetts for another big conference match-up. We are currently 0-2 in the conference and this would be a great way to get our first ever win in the CAA. We are all looking forward to the opportunity to take down one of the nations best teams. Us along with our coaches know that we can play with any team in Division 1 lacrosse.

In addition to the games we continue to work hard to get better every day. In season is no time to slack off and we have continued to work hard in the weight room and get after it on out 7 a.m. Monday morning runs. We haven't let up in any aspect and we are poised to finish the season strong

By: Will Abbott

At eight games into the season, we have a record of 3-5. Our victories include wins over VMI, Wagner, and Quinnipiac. We had five tough games against Lehigh, Bryant, Brown, Drexel, and most recently Penn State who was ranked 17th in the country, but in every game we have given a great effort, and showed improvement in all facets of the game. Every week we continue to get better, and we are looking forward to playing 3rd ranked UMASS this upcoming weekend.

Our most recent victory over Quinnipiac was a thriller.  After coming out of the gates slow, we found ourselves down by six. We kept calm, and we were able to cut the deficit to two by halftime. Coming into the second half, we knew we could win the game. Our defense played great, and we held Quinnipiac to one goal. Our offense stepped up, and they scored important goals at crucial times.  Gus Quinzani scored the game winning goal with three minutes left in the game.  We showed determination in this game, and it was truly a team effort. The come from behind victory is a game that all of us will remember for the rest of our lives, and it showed the character and heart of our team.

This past weekend we lost a hard fought game to Penn State; however, our defense played great and we continued to show signs of improvement. With a week to prepare for UMASS, we continue to work hard during practice, and compete everyday.  We are still running are 300 yard shuttles every Monday morning at 7am, to improve our fitness, and we continue to get stronger with lift sessions twice a week.  We are looking forward to the next part of our season, and continuing to get better and winning more games. 

By: John Simanski

As Fall Ball ended after Headstrong, we as a team moved into the Fall Improvement season. This consisted of us having lifting sessions four times a week and having skill sessions. We as a team would also get together on Tuesday and Thursday for team organized skill session, that we called MYB time (Make Yourself Better).  Although the Fall Improvement season was a very grueling process, it made us better as a team and that showed in many of ours weight gain, 40 times, bench press and squat. Coach Wray also ended the Fall Improvement season with a competitive and fun inter-squad scrimmage.

After the fall improvement season, us players headed into finals week. During this week we had our last team meeting, where the coaches gave us our expectations they had for us over break. This included a workout packet, running packet and a stick work packet. However, the biggest announcement was the addition of our new coach Kevin Crowley, who played at Stony Brook University. Coach Crowley will be helping out with the midfielders and man-up unit.

Although we are on Winter Break until January 15th, we are all working very hard trying to get bigger, faster and become more skilled lacrosse players. I know as a team we are all motivated by our game February 11th against Lehigh in which we want to start the season of 1-0.  

By: Pat Sinnott

In between fall and Thanksgiving break, we have been going hard every day, improving both on and off the field. The freshman class has almost reached their comfort level, which is very important to us going into the season since we have a few freshmen that are going to be key players for us. They are maturing quickly and the entire team is meshing well. With everyone bringing maximum effort to each workout, we are forging a unity within the team that is the strongest it has been. One phrase that epitomizes our mentality for our fall improvement season is "Come Ready Or Never Start," or CRONS as it has became known around campus. The team is continuously working to foster that work ethic. Despite the challenges of being a student athlete, we are maintaining good grades and enjoying our time together with the coaching staff every day. An exciting event took place after one of our workouts, a dance off between two seniors Bob Hurley and Grif Ferrigan. Grif highlighted the event with his rendition of LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It," while Hurley dominated the competition with his Jock Jams Mash Up routine, quick feet on the floor much like the late Michael Jackson.

Coming off of Thanksgiving break and gearing up for end of semester finals, our attitudes remain focused as our outlook for the spring is optimistic. We recently had a tough Monday workout coming off the break, but as a team we attacked it and got better that day. The workout consisted of 300s in the early am, followed by an afternoon which began with a timed mile to make less than 6 minutes, followed by 8 quarters of stick work, breakout patters, weight lifting, abdominal work, and continued conditioning of our legs. Currently, the senior class is gearing up for their Business Policy competitions which begin the week of 12/4. The Policy competition is for the entire senior class at SJU; each class is broken into groups of 5 seniors who had to analyze a Publicly Traded Company for the entire first semester and at the end of the semester develop a strategy for the future to improve their financials. Along with that is a research paper on the company you selected, anywhere from 30 -50 pages which your power point presentation highlights. The first groups of presentations are that Monday morning. All this week the seniors and their groups will be meeting through the nights to finalize their financials and meet with professors to make sure everything is correct, it is intense and very stressful.

As a team we look forward to a successful finals week and some much deserved time off with family. Going into break, we are committed to continuing to get better while keeping the pace with the off season workouts provided by Coach Brian and Coach Keating.

The spring season is right around the corner, and we are very excited for the season opened at Hawk Hill. There has been a lot of expressed interest and support from our families, alumni, friends, and professors for the upcoming season. Expect to see good crowds on the bleachers and outside of Post Hall.

By: Griffin Ferrigan

After a successful HEADstrong tournament as a team, the next event on the Hawks' Lacrosse agenda was the annual alumni game. The alumni game is a very special part of the fall ball tradition because it is one of the only times throughout the year where the team gets to see the past players and enjoy the day with them. We started out the morning with a team inter-squad scrimmage. After, some of the guys stuck around to take part in the alumni game, pitting current players against the alumni. It was a loose yet exciting game at the same time, with the varsity team pulling out a late one goal victory over the alumni to win. It was an overall successful and enjoyable time for both the team as well as the alumni.

Once the alumni weekend came to a close, the team started what is known as the "Fall Improvement Season." The focus of the Fall Improvement Season is based around improving our individual skills as well as our physical fitness. Each week we have to pass a wall-ball test as well as a 300 yard shuttle test. We also meet 3 times a week in small groups to work on fundamental stick work and position drills that have also been very beneficial to the team. The lifting sessions have been ramped up in intensity to focus on us getting stronger in these two months where there is limited lacrosse action. This Fall Improvement Season, to say the least, has been very intense and competitive for the team. Our coaches push us to our limits every day, and I know for a fact we are getting bigger, faster, and stronger.

We have also been attending our weekly community service trips to the various assigned locations, and I know the team enjoys this because it is a time when we can relax and take our minds off of anything that's putting pressure on us. It has definitely been a great team bonding experience for us.

By: Trevor Dougherty

The team has just finished participating in the 5^th annual Nick Colleluori Classic with successful showings against both the University of Michigan and Mount St. Mary's University.  It was a great day for our team all around - beautiful weather, a delicious tailgate and contributing to a wonderful cause, on top of competing against two strong lacrosse teams.  It was enjoyable for the coaches, players, parents and fans to watch a fast-paced and energetic team continue to gain confidence on the field throughout the day. 

With that being said, the men on the team realize that there is still a ways to go in the improvement process.  We are finishing up Phase 1 of our season in the next few days with Alumni Weekend as we welcome back to campus previous Hawk players.  The alumni are playing a crucial role in the development of this program and we are looking forward to introducing them to the newest brand of St. Joe's lacrosse.  Shortly after, we will be jumping into Phase 2 of our season with increased strength, speed and conditioning workouts, along with individual skills sessions.  We are viewing Phase 2 as a great opportunity to get ahead of our opponents and be better prepared for the upcoming season.  We have set high standards for ourselves and these next few months will be an important step in helping us to meet those expectations. 

The team as a whole would like to again thank the parents for hosting a wonderful tailgate during the HEADstrong Classic.  The amount of time, effort and preparation that goes into each tailgate is always appreciated.  The meals are consistently top-notch; though I might add, everything tastes much better after a win.  With your continued support, we are looking forward to making this an unforgettable season for St. Joe's lacrosse.  Go Hawks.   

By: Matt Germain

Another week down, and another week closer to the official start of the 2012 lacrosse season. As we finish out our final week of practice before the HEADstrong Lacrosse Tournament, we continue to prepare ourselves for the first big test of the 2011-2012 season. We are set to take on two quality opponents this Saturday in the University of Michigan, and Mount Saint Mary's.

As October 8th draws closer, the men on our team are showing increasing levels of excitement and intensity to show the lacrosse community what the new Saint Joseph's University men's lacrosse team is all about.  This fall we have already made huge strides towards accomplishing our goals for the year, and continue to work everyday to get better. Our coaches have instilled the mentality in us that we should focus on getting a little better everyday, because the cumulative effects will have a big impact on our level of success this year.
   
The team has been working extremely hard both on and off the field not only with lacrosse, but in the classroom and community as well. Our hope is to not only excel on the lacrosse field, but as students and young men. I trust that as you read this blog, and the ones to come, you will get excited to see the progress our team has made in just a few short weeks. I am confident in saying that this truly is a different team, and we look forward to showing you this Saturday. We look forward to seeing everyone, to take the first step towards a great season. Go Hawks! 

By: Chris Jenkins

This year has been a big step up from the last few years for the men on the team. We have been practicing harder, lifting more, and conditioning like never before. The team has been attacking every workout and practice session with an enthusiasm and drive that was definitely lacking in the last few years.

We look forward to showcasing all the hard work in the upcoming headstrong tournament next weekend. Coach Wray and coaches Mike Keating and Dan Keating have done a great job preparing us for our games against Michigan and Mount Saint Mary's. We have improved so much just over the last few weeks that it is very exciting to see what will be able to do this season. The team on the field next weekend will look much different. We hope that this tournament will be the building block to the beginning of a very successful season for St. Joe's Lacrosse.

On a different note, we have begun doing weekly community service at several locations around campus to give back to the Philadelphia community. My service group has been visiting the Simpson House Retirement Home. It has been a great experience thus far and very rewarding to give back to all the people living there. The residents of the home are excited to see us every week, they love telling us stories about their lives, playing trivia, and even throwing a ball around. Weekly service is a nice change up from the normal physically taxing sessions we have all week and gives us a chance to relax while giving back. This is going to be a great year and we have started off on the right foot, working hard on and off the field.