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SPORTS
| UPDATED April 23
Club Sports
Lacrosse team faces off with Houston
in playoffs
Coach Gary Robinson says the young
players have developed nicely through the season.
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| The Shorthorn: Brandon Wade |
| Undeclared freshman Al Roberts looks
behind him for the ball during lacrosse practice Wednesday
night in the Physical Education Building. During a game,
it is possible for some players to shoot the ball at over
80 mph. |
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By R.C.
Wendler
The Shorthorn Staff
Mud and rain caused a low-scoring game between the University of
Houston and UTA’s Lacrosse team on Jan. 26, with the Mavericks
falling 3-2. The Lone-Star Alliance playoffs start this weekend,
and UTA and Houston square off in the first round Saturday.
Coach Gary Robinson said UTA’s offense was smothered that day
by Houston goalie Chris Smink. The Mavericks’ two goals were
a season low.
UTA plays Houston at 4 p.m. Saturday in College Station, with the
championship game at noon Sunday.
Offense “was definitely the weakest part of our game that early
in the season,” Robinson said. “It’s improved drastically
since then. We’ve been manufacturing a lot more goals.”
UTA (7-4) scored 11 goals in its most recent game, a win against
Stephen F. Austin. SFA (4-2) and St. Edwards University (5-0) match
up in the other semi-final game.
Junior midfielder Kevin Broome said the early-season loss to Houston
(6-3) has fueled the team in recent practices, and the players are
excited as the playoffs begin.
“That loss has kind of been feeding us the past couple weeks,
we’re ready to take it to them,” he said. “We were
still learning our offense. Now we’ve come together, and we’re
starting to click.”
Robinson said the young players on the team have developed nicely
toward the end of the season.
“We have a really young team, and a lot of these guys have
just started playing the game within the last two months,”
he said. “Everyone was back on their heels. We’ll be ready
for them this time. I’ve done my research.”
Part of that research includes a game film of St. Edward’s.
Robinson said he could not figure out the Hilltoppers’ offense
in the first game, but he has a better understanding now.
If UTA faces them in the championship, Broome said the entire team
must work together to stop the Hilltoppers’ attack.
“It’s basically the whole team’s responsibility,”
he said. “When we see them setting up their play where they
get their main guys open, we have to know how to coordinate against
that.”
Broome also credits UTA’s success to the coaching of Robinson,
who was named co-coach of the year along with Houston’s Mike
Ormsby.
“He knows all aspects of the game,” Broome said of his
coach. “We’re a good team because he knows how to make
everything work together.”
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