With a final score of 13-8, the Texas A&M men’s lacrosse DI team defeated divisional opponent Southern Methodist University on Saturday, Feb. 26, putting the Aggies back on track after two losses.
After falling to Clemson and Auburn earlier in the 2022 season, the captain of the maroon and white said the decisive win on Saturday at the Penberthy Rec Sports Complex set up potential wins against Colorado State later this week and in division playoffs at the end March.
The team started off strong despite Saturday’s rain and temperatures in the 30s, ending the half with a score of 7-3. During the last quarter, the Aggies allowed five points to SMU.
“We always start off games really well,” junior attackman Karthik Rajagopal said. “We just need to keep up that energy throughout the whole game.”
Sophomore midfielder Jake Johnston said that although the weather was rough, he still felt the team played a good game.
“We knew SMU was going to be a tough team, so I was really happy [with] how we played against them,” Johnston said. “It was really cold and rainy, which kind of messed some stuff up, but we played through it.”
In the third quarter, Johnston said he experienced the highlight of not only the game, but of his season.
“I scored my first goal in this game, so I was excited about that,” Johnston said. “I think this year we all got really close to each other through hanging out outside of practice, and that has really contributed to our chemistry on the field.”
Despite two losses, sophomore midfielder William Kauderer said he still hopes to make it to nationals.
“We’re 3-2, but we just have to win out in our division to make it to playoffs, which is pretty much all the Texas schools besides [the University of Texas],” Kauderer said. “UT is still one of our biggest competitors, though. I’m looking forward to that game because I have a bunch of old friends on that team, and last year we beat them by one.”
Kauderer isn’t the only player looking forward to playing against the UT on Sunday, March 27.
“We’re playing ‘T.U.,’ LSU and Tech, all in one weekend, so that’s going to be really fun,” Johnston said. “All three teams are always really competitive, so I know it’s going to be difficult, but it’s also going to be interesting to see what happens.”
The DII division of the men’s lacrosse team also picked up its first win of the season Saturday, beating Baylor with a final score of 10-9.
The next game for the DI division is against Colorado State on Friday, March 11, at 7 p.m. at Penberthy.