The Saint Anselm men’s lacrosse team looks to finish their dominant regular season on a high note. With just one game to go, the Hawks are currently 7-3 on the season and ranked number 10 in Division II. 

The Hawks are battle-tested, playing in one of the most skilled conferences in the entire country. To be the best, you have to beat the best, and the Hawks live by this. The Hawks’ extremely competitive schedule will only help them in the long run.  

Senior defensive midfielder Will Harvey spoke about the tough competition the Hawks face, saying, “We have one of the hardest strengths of schedule in the country this year, just in the fact that the NE10 is so competitive. So every game is a battle and is definitely preparing us come playoffs.”

But despite the Hawks’ difficult schedule, they have established themselves as a true powerhouse. After starting the season 2-2 with some close losses to nationally ranked foes, the Hawks have shown resilience and rallied together. The team won five straight games before losing steam with a 10-9 loss in their most recent game against number 14 Pace.

During their five game win streak, the Hawks beat some very formidable opponents and recorded some dominant scores. Most notably, the Hawks beat number 19 Bentley 11-8 on April 1, and the Hawks beat American International with an insane score of 23-2 on April 11.

In the Bentley game, junior attacker Noah Larsen led the way for the Hawks with a hat trick. Senior midfielder Jack Andrews and his younger brother, sophomore midfielder Will Andrews, each found the back of the net twice. Jack also dished out an assist.

In the home game versus American International College, the Hawks utterly dominated both sides of the ball. The Hawks’ offense put on a clinic with four players recording a hat trick. 

Senior attacker Jack Robinson, senior midfielder Will Kezerian, freshman attacker Brendan Crowley, and freshman attacker Maverick Lyon each netted three goals and recorded an assist. Junior attacker Chase Lillly was also a standout performer with a team-best five points on the game (2 goals and 3 assists). 

It’s a great sign for the Hawks seeing big contributions from the younger guys. Senior goaltender Dave Olsen praised the hard work of the newcomers. “The young guys have been a big part of our success this season. Freshman [Goaltender] Naish Kelley has especially been a big help to me personally.” 

The Hawks’ defense and goaltending also stood strong versus AIC. The Hawks forced 29 turnovers and won 22-28 faceoffs. Senior Craig Yannone gave the Hawks a big advantage, winning 13-16 of his faceoffs. Three goaltenders saw the field for the Hawks: Olsen, senior Will Davis, and junior Anthony Kubik. The trio combined for nine saves.     

A major reason for the Hawks’ success this season has been strong leadership. The Hawks are blessed with 14 seniors who help the younger guys get acclimated to the college game. Senior defender and 2021-2022 NE-10 defensive player of the year Ryan Slattery, along with 2021-2022 NE-10 third team all-conference player Jack Andrews, are the team captains.     

Slattery mentioned that “It’s truly an honor to be considered a leader of such a great group of young men. They are an easy group of guys to lead because everyone puts the team first and we are all on the same page. Every member of our team comes from the same hard working nature and we all have our team goals in mind. This allows our team to be at our best every single day on the field and off of the field. Making our job as leaders easy.”

With the regular season wrapping up, the Hawks have their eyes on the prize and one goal in mind. “The team goal since fall ball is to win a national championship,” said Olsen.

The Hawks’ final regular season game is their Senior Day versus Assumption on Tuesday April 25 at home. Come cheer on the team!