Tampa Catholic Lacrosse Aims for Magical Season

The 2011 spring season represents one last opportunity for Tampa Catholic lacrosse.

If the Crusaders are going to pursue glory, this year will have to be the year. With 11 seniors set to depart from the squad, this season has a special meaning for both the players and the coaching staff.

“We’re a family,” senior defensive midfielder Aaron Buckley said. “Right now, we’re taking it game by game and trying to collect victories. We want to appreciate everyday we have as a family. We know that this is it. We want to make it a special season.”

For coach Jim Gillies, the exodus of so many seniors will lead to a rebuilding season next year. With the non-senior talent he has on this squad however, Gillies is confident that his team can still compete even after they lose a large contingent of experienced players from the lineup.

“I’m a little concerned about next year obviously, but we have some good young players coming back,” Gillies said. “We have a lot of strength in our team. It’s not just seniors that start for us, it’s a mixture. We have some freshman that start already so we’ll be okay in the future.”

Gillies has delivered this message about the meaning of the season to the team, although he says it wasn't necessary. No members have committed to playing in college, so for these seniors, their lacrosse playing days are nearing their end.

As a group who has, for the most part, played together for four years straight, the players know what is at stake and that their best chance of doing something they've never done before is right before them. 

"We've never made the playoffs with this team, but this year we have a really good chance of making it," Gillies said. "I don't have to tell this group about the importance of their final season. We've never even had a winning season with this group, but there is a good chance we're going to change that this year."

On Friday night, the Crusaders improved to 3-1 on the season with a 7-6 victory over Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota), a district rival.

The win was significant for Tampa Catholic’s aspirations of success this season, especially after Cardinal Mooney beat them in the first game of the year by a score of 9-6.

“The mindset coming in was that this is a big game,” Buckley said. “We know that we if we don’t make many mistakes that we can beat any team. We executed early and we were able to come out with a win.”

The Crusaders jumped out to a comfortable 5-1 lead before allowing Cardinal Mooney back into it in the second half. As the Cougars edged closer at 6-5, Tampa Catholic began to press for an insurance goal.

Junior attacker Kyle Miller would provide that goal with just under eight minutes remaining after he cut across the crease in front of goal to receive a pass from the midfield. Turning quickly, Miller fired a shot into the bottom left corner of the net providing all the insurance Tampa Catholic would need.

The lack of discipline in the second half was something that Gillies was disappointed with and felt fortunate that it didn’t cost his team a win in an important district game.

“Cardinal Mooney is a very good team that you know won’t quit fighting until the end,” Gillies said. “As the game went on, we lost ourselves a little bit but we did well to hang on. Our boys fought hard and, although they didn’t always use their best judgment, in the end they played great and came out on top.”