By Mitchell Courtney
Rochester Knighthawks Feature Writer

With most NCAA lacrosse programs kicking off their regular seasons this past week, the Albany Great Danes are still waiting. Albany will finally start its quest for a second consecutive America East Championship when it takes on the Syracuse Orange on Saturday, Feb. 16. Albany junior Mitch Laffin noted that all eyes are focused on 2019, despite winning the conference championship last year.

“[We were] happy to win another conference championship last year, but we are not dwelling on the accomplishments from last season,” he said. “We won, and that is great, but we have a new team.”

As for Albany’s opening day opponents, the Syracuse Orange fell to Colgate in their opener by a score of 12-9. Tyson Bomberry, who scooped up five ground balls, was the only Native American player to see time for the Orange as they started their regular season. As previously noted, the Orange will battle the Great Danes this Saturday as they fight for their first win of the season.

Kyran Sunday did not suit up in Hofstra’s narrow opening day win, as the Pride defeated Lehigh 4-3 in a defensive battle. Hofstra’s three fourth-quarter goals were enough to propel them to 1-0 on the season.

Jake Fox and Johns Hopkins had a disappointing start to their 2019 campaign as they fell to in-state rival Towson University by a score of 17-8. However, Johns Hopkins will have a chance to redeem themselves as they take on Chase Scanlan and Loyola on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Scanlan and the Greyhounds were more fortunate in their first game of the season, defeating the University of Virginia 17-9 on the strength of five fourth-quarter tallies. Scanlan scored two goals on six shots in the game, impressing early as a freshman. He was excited for his first regular season game as a Division I athlete, and he noted that his team was performing at a high level.

“It was very exciting to get out on the field for my first college game. My family came down, so it meant a lot to me,” he said. “On offense, we did a good job of sharing the ball, and that started to open things up for me.”

Loyola’s only game this week will be its tilt against 0-1 Johns Hopkins on Saturday.

Wake:Riat BowHunter continues to inspire confidence in his coaching staff at Jacksonville University, despite the team falling by a score of 15-8 to Duke on Feb. 9. The Dolphins are 0-2 on the season, but they have many reasons for optimism. With an extremely young group, they do not look out of place against some of the countries most decorated programs. As a freshman, BowHunter has become one of the main reasons Dolphins fans should remain optimistic moving forward. He continued his early season success with a goal in the team’s second matchup of the season. Jacksonville and its young squad will face Marquette at home on Friday, Feb. 15, as it looks for its first victory of 2019.

Although he was not in the lineup, Devon Buckshot’s High Point squad downed Duke 13-9 on Feb. 6. The win was the Panthers’ second of the season after they defeated St. Bonaventure 13-0 on Feb. 2. Buckshot is hoping to get into the lineup shortly as High Point faces off against Drexel on Saturday, Feb. 16, and the University of Virginia on Monday, Feb. 18.

High Point’s matchup with Drexel and Native American freshman Dan Burnam will be Drexel’s first regular season action of the year.

Freshman Matt Duncan tallied one assist and collected three ground balls in his NCAA regular season debut with St. John’s as it fell to Rutgers by a score of 19-15. Duncan will get another chance to lead his team to their first victory this week as St. John’s travels to the University of Hartford on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Junior college seasons are still weeks away from beginning, but that has not stopped them from preparing at a high level. Genesee Community College and head coach Dave Hoover will play three more scrimmages before opening their season at Finger Lakes Community College on Tuesday, March 5.

As defending JUCO champions, the Onondaga Community College Lazers and new head coach Eric Miccio are expecting his team to be led by freshman Owen Hill. Miccio noted that Hill will immediately take on a significant role for the Lazers.

“[He is] without a doubt poised to be a leader at the attack and midfield positions,” said Miccio of Hill. “He is a great player and is extremely important to junior college lacrosse as a whole.”

Coach Miccio and the Lazers are looking to defend their championship reign and win a 12th NJCAA title while continuing the longest win streak in college lacrosse history; which now sits at an astounding 107 wins.

There were some disappointing losses mixed in with some inspiring performances from young players around the country, but the season is still young, and the goals remain the same. Early season losses have not deterred some of the country’s best teams from chasing glory and a national title, and teams will need to continue their hard work to reach their goals.