The Vandal club men’s lacrosse team ended its season Saturday in a tightly contested game against the Boise State Broncos, losing 23-15.
Idaho midfielder Mykael Wheeler paces around the net during the Vandals’ game against Simon Fraser University April 13 on the SprinTurf. The Vandals couldn’t replicate their performance in a win against Washington State and fell to Boise State Saturday in Boise. Kyle Morse led the team with six goals in his final game with the team.
The Vandal men fought throughout the game but suffered from low roster numbers, which meant little rest for players, coach Ben Frey said.
Idaho went into the game having only 14 players on the roster including two goalies, compared to the 20 players that Boise State was able to field.
“It was never an issue of want or try, they ran to the bitter end,” Frey said. “When you have the numbers on the bench that we had it is difficult to compete.”
Despite the fatigue, the Vandals posted impressive numbers throughout the game, outshooting the Bronco offense in both the second and fourth quarters.
Senior attacker Kyle Morse had the highest point tally of the game, scoring six out of the 15 goals for the Vandals. He also had one assist for a total of seven points. Sophomore goalie Patrick Craig had an impressive game with 10 saves for a shot save percentage of 30 percent.
The Vandal lacrosse team ended its season 4-10 while going 1-3 in its division, defeating Washington State on April 20.
Five of the starting seniors for the Vandals will be moving on, including Morse, the leading scorer against Boise State.
“We are losing a lot of talent but we have more coming in, we are not replacing these guys that are leaving but we will have the talent to compete well next year,” Frey said.
Frey said the team has a large recruiting class of freshmen from around the Northwest including two players from Boise, one from Oregon and one from California coming to the team, as well as a few players who missed the season due to injuries or other reasons.
“We will have bigger numbers, I always told the guys it was not about a lack of heart. Our team has more heart than any other team I have ever seen, movies included,” he said.
As well as boosting its roster numbers, the team is in process of choosing a permanent coach for the team. The BSU game was the third for Frey, who is a graduating senior and was chosen to lead the team for the last three games.
Frey said that he is a possible candidate for the permanent coaching position but the club lacrosse board, made up of alumni and parents, are also helping him search for a replacement.
“I would take the opportunity to coach next year,” Frey said. “I would stay in town and be able to devote more of myself without the distraction of school. I have every confidence in myself and in my knowledge of the game.”
Curtis Ginnetti can be reached at [email protected]