The spring season is inching closer and with that brings a new season of lacrosse. The Montclair State University men’s lacrosse team opens the season on Saturday, February 24 against Penn College.
Last season, the Red Hawks finished with a record of 10-8 and 2-3 in the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (CLC). Their 2023 campaign ended after Montclair State lost in the semifinals of the CLC tournament to Salisbury University with the final being 23-7.
Head Coach Matt Poskay, who is entering his sixth season as head coach of the Red Hawks, reflected upon how the Red Hawks can build off of last year.
Montclair State taking the field to play last season. Matt Deluca | The Montclarion
“You look at the past and you try to build on something, but you also realize it’s a whole new fresh team out here,” Poskay said. “And we do have a lot of fresh faces out here, some new faces, some young faces, so, you know, it’s a whole new team. But, you know, we’re still establishing the ground work and realizing that it’s February and try to get better everyday and hopefully be playing our best lacrosse come late April into May.”
Sophomore attacker Ryan Vierbuchen played unbelievable as a freshman a year ago and finished the season with 23 goals and 20 assists. Vierbuchen quickly became an intricate piece to the program and is looking to continue what he started.
“Yeah, it brings a lot of pressure, I guess to me as a player, but also, I know the guys around me as whole, we should figure it out,” Vierbuchen said. “And then I think we’re all just gonna build off each other, which then I guess stats will lead to it so yeah that’s it, I would say.”
Many important former Red Hawks, including midfielder Joe Covino, attacker Tyler McCreery and attacker Mike McCreery, all finished in the top five in points and assists last season and have been lost due to graduation.
Life without a couple of Montclair State lacrosse legends will certainly take some time getting used to however, Poskay is used to the challenge and is ready to take it head on.
“A lot of our guys did graduate and, you know, there are some fresh faces out there,” Poskay said. “But, that happens every year and you just gotta find guys to fill some voids and then fill some holes and expect to get better everyday. You know, those guys, the faster they pick it up, the faster they’ll get more comfortable and we’ll go from there.”
Senior midfielder Jack Cleary, who started 14 games last season, has been crucial to the Montclair State midfield but he believes this squad is improving everyday.
Sophomore attacker Ryan Vierbuchen started in 11 games last season as a freshman. Matt Deluca | The Montclarion
“I’d say our rides, one of our biggest factors, we do get the ball back a lot now with our new looking to ride,” Cleary explains. “And then I also would say our off-ball movement is pretty good, we get to a lot of good spots offensive, we just need to get better at shooting currently,”
The lead up to the season has been filled with scrimmages along with practice and Poskay’s message to the team is quite simple.
“You know, we’ve had some scrimmages, but the scoreboard doesn’t really matter, you know, it’s a time to learn,” Poskay said. “But now it counts so every little mistake could bite us in the butt, but every good thing we do, we could reap the rewards from. So, you know, the final message is the same that I give to them everyday, you know, get better each day, keep working hard, and enjoy yourself out there.”
It is a long season ahead and every game obviously matters however, the Red Hawks don’t have a CLC matchup until March 30, which is against Christopher Newport University.
Montclair State was ranked fifth in the CLC Preseason Coaches Poll and although it is a tough conference, these Red Hawks can compete.
