Matt Haemmerle celebrated with his teammates after scoring a goal on Wednesday.
Thomas Formoso |The Montclarion
Men’s lacrosse is on a roll. The Red Hawks have won six straight games in the Skyline Conference.
In their most recent game on Wednesday, April 12, sophomore Matt Haemmerle notched five goals and three assists against Kean University. The Red Hawks defeated Kean 14-9. Haemmerle currently leads the team in points with 53. Senior Brady Wulster scored four goals of his own as well.
After starting the year 0-6, the Red Hawks have improved to 6-6 overall. Sophomore attackman Dan Delargy chalks it up to team discipline.
“We’ve worked a lot harder in practice, in the film room, doing chalk-talk,” Delargy said. “Earlier [this season] we were too worried about other teams. We just need to focus on our game.”
It’s not only six consecutive victories for the Red Hawks in the conference, but they are also undefeated in conference play.
“After our loss at Denison [University], we started working harder in practice and getting the best out of each other,” Delargy. “We’ve been solid all year on defense, but our offense has improved [the most].”
Now in his third season at Montclair State University, head coach Mike Schambach has led his teams to two straight Skyline Conference titles, and he believes confidence is the key.
The men’s lacrosse team has outscored their Skyline conference opponents by a 97-31 margin this season.
“Since we’ve been in conference, scoring goals hasn’t been as big of a problem, and I think the confidence that [we have now], will help us in the playoffs,” Schambach said. ”The goal for us is not to overlook some of the teams in conference. On any given day, anyone can beat anybody.”
Schambach relates his success to the school’s tradition and a deep respect for alumni. Former coach John Greco who died of a stroke in 2010 is a big part of that tradition, and the team is dedicating the “Greco Team Room,” a newly renovated team locker room, to him.
“[The Greco Team Room] will be completed in phases, and as we raise money, we want to focus on better signage around the room to honor Coach Greco and past all-Americans at Montclair [State],” said Schambach. “We have a tradition of alumni dating back to the 1970s here, and we want to dedicate [the team room] to the alumni. It’s a great way to honor Coach Greco and his passion for the team.”
In the past two seasons, the Montclair State Red Hawks have won two Skyline Conference titles with a 17-0 in-conference record.
Coach Schambach believes the team is headed in the right direction.
“We’re only a few goals away from being a top-ten team, and in the locker-room, we believe that we can do it this year,” said Schambach. “We’ve got a strong senior class that is our driving force and [with that leadership] we think we can achieve our goals this year.”
