The Biola men’s lacrosse team kicks off their ninth season this coming Saturday, Nov. 7, with an alumni game. Current lacrosse players will match up with former Eagles for an enjoyable time of athletic competition.
The Eagles come into this season still riding on the winds of their fantastic finish last year. They took all-conference in the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference, going 7-0, and eight individual players on the team also received all conference-awards. They also swept the teams in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association to finish 10-0. The team has continued to practice hard and hone their skills and, although there are a lot of new faces on this year’s team, they have bright hopes for the coming season.
Biola Lacrosse is a club sport and was established in 2001. Because lacrosse is a club, rather than intercollegiate sport, the funding for the sport works differently than most other sports at Biola. The program receives some funding from AS, but whatever expenses that AS does not cover must be met through fundraising and player dues. The club is hosting the alumni game both as a team fundraiser and as an opportunity for past and present Biola lacrosse players to fellowship on the field.
While being a club sometimes makes funding difficult, it does provide ministering opportunities that are unique to club sports, ones that few other Biola teams get to experience. Because the team doesn’t play in the Golden State Athletic Conference like most of Biola’s sports do, most of the teams they play come from non-Christian schools. Senior attacker Nathan Chaim talked about the wonderful opportunity this provides the team to be witnesses to their opponents. They pray at the end of every game, even when playing at other schools, and always invite the other teams to join them. They get a lot of curiosity from the teams they play, and sometimes even opposing players that join them in prayer. Also, because of the way lacrosse is played, the attack and the defense each stay on their respective ends of the field and this means that the Eagles get the chance to talk with the other players when the ball is at the opposite end of the field.
As this season approaches, that purpose of being a light to their opponents is kept in mind. While the team would be thrilled with a season as fantastic as the last one, Chaim says that sweeping conference again is not their ultimate goal.
“Our goals for the season are to absolutely love God while doing what we love to do,” he said. “Loving people at the same time while bringing glory to God through a sport.”
This season is full of athletic opportunities and potential for God’s glory. Come out and help this dedicated team kick it off with a bang and cheer for the Eagles, both current and former, as they battle it out on the field this Saturday at 4 p.m. on the turf.
