The 2018 MIAA Lacrosse season is upon us. The Gaels are looking to have a strong year coming up. The team returns a good amount of experienced players who are ready to suit up and play again. At the helm is Coach Stephen Berger. A graduate of the Mount, coach Berger is entering his 4th season as head coach. Although the record doesn’t always show it year in and year out, he demands the most out of his players and is an excellent role model for the team. From the before-school workouts to the countless hours of practice and film study, Coach Berger and his players are some of the hardest working people on campus.
Under Coach Berger are a number of great assistant coaches. Coach Joe Figola is the offensive coordinator for the Gaels while coaches Andrew Garthoff and Steve Mersinger run things on the defensive side. Also, helping with defense and wing play is coach Conrad Ordakowski. Finally the Gaels have coach Brent Johnson to help with recruiting. All these coaches put in an immense amount of time and effort to make sure the boys are ready to play.
So far this year the Gaels have had two scrimmages and two non-MIAA games. They are 1-1 after losing the first game, and winning the second game decidedly against Good Counsel. In the first scrimmage, the Gaels were defeated by a talented Dematha squad. Things were better the next scrimmage as the team had a strong win against St. Peter and Paul. In the first official game, the Gaels lost a hard fought battle to a tough St. John’s team out of D.C. The team showed spots of hope though as they game out of the gate scoring the first goal quickly. Throughout the game the Gaels has a number of flashes where they looked like a top tier team, but in the end the Cadets got the best of Saint Joe. In the second game against Good Counsel, the Gaels came away with a win 12-6. Hayden Toth sealed the win with a full-field snipe at the buzzer.
The team has a number of talented players who are ready to go out and show everyone what they’re capable of. Senior Will Targonski is a close defender and one of the leaders of the defense. He is tenacious and big, and he is hoping to have an excellent senior season. Playing at midfield is senior Griffin Corbett. Corbett is currently out with an elbow injury but hopes to be back before the MIAA games begin. He is an amazing player who is committed to play lacrosse at Jacksonville University. He looks to lead the Gaels with his quickness and shooting ability. Another college commit is senior attachment Kyle DeCrispino. DeCrispino is committed to play at Drexel University next year. He is an excellent goal-scorer who is extremely difficult to defend. He, along with Corbett and Targonski, as well as a number of other talented players, looks to lead the Gaels to a successful season this year in the tough MIAA conference.
Under the guidance of Coach Berger and the unique talents of all the players, the Gaels are looking to put themselves in a position to compete with some of the best teams in the nation. MSJ wishes the lacrosse team the best of luck in the 2018 season.