That old saying is true: there is a first time for everything.

It was just a scrimmage, but Saturday’s matchup against Trine University was a historic day for the Grand Valley State University men’s lacrosse team. The face-off marked the first time GVSU competed against an NCAA varsity team in its history.

Down by four goals with just more than seven minutes to go, the Lakers stormed back to capture a dramatic 16-14 victory.

“Overall, the thing I’m most happy with was just the will to compete that our team showed,” said Tim Murray, first-year GVSU head coach.

The Trine University lacrosse team is in the NCAA Division III while the GVSU lacrosse squad still remains a club team. However, Murray and his players will be the first to tell you that the work they put in is equal to any other varsity team at GVSU.

“If we are not busting it in every single drill in practice then we are going to run afterwards,” said senior midfielder Max Bielby. “When we practice, it gets us in a routine of playing fast, so we go out there and a lot of teams that like to settle the ball down to start with aren’t ready for a team to come at you every single time they get the ball.”

The team’s hard work helps one understand the physicality of the sport, a significant part of the game. Lacrosse is played on a field with limited padding and a metal shaft ranging from 40 to 72 inches long, depending on one’s position.

Senior goalie Alex Billings believes this game against an NCAA varsity team really helped the team, even though it was the first game of the season. He also commented on the typical physical play.

“The most common sport in which a collarbone or arm is broken is lacrosse, if that tells you anything,” Billings said. “Against Trine, we came out hot and we were a little flat in the middle and we finished really strong. I don’t think we were intimidated at all by Trine.”

Though the match against Trine was just an exhibition, it helped coaches and players measure where the team currently sits.

“There are certain teams that we will play throughout the course of the season that we can just overwhelm physically,” Murray said. “But the types of teams we have been playing, from a physicality standpoint, require another level of play. Our win was quite a statement and it’s a testament to our kids.”

Murray added that the competition the team faced in the fall helped raise the bar and also helped the team increase their stamina.

“If you don’t play a high caliber opponent in the fall it really forces a lot of negative habits that you think you get away with against the lesser teams,” he said. “But we play up against the Michigan’s of the world, where every mistake you make, they capitalize on; so it really forces you into a better brand of lacrosse.”

The team plans to continues practicing like they are in game mode and hopes to build off their performance against Trine, their first NCAA varsity opponent. The Lakers lacrosse team next plays against Butler University on Feb. 26 in the Laker Turf Building.

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