Photograph by Jessie Vretenar
Freshman defender Aaron Wallner fights off UW-Madison player during the Fall Ball opener for lacrosse.

The UW-Platteville lacrosse team took on UW-Madison’s Black and White sides in the opening games of their Fall Ball season. They lost both games, but found confidence in new rookie players.

The team took on Madison Black, the b-side squad for their first game. They fell short of victory, losing by a score of 5-3 to the Badgers.

“The biggest upset of the games was just the fact that we lost. I think all the guys played well and gave it their best effort,” senior Jake Carlson said.

Rookies were given the majority of playing time so they could get a feel for the game and working together, Carlson said. With a week of practice behind them, the new players were able to gain valuable time on the field.

“Fall Ball is a time for learning the fundamentals and rules of the game,” Carlson said. “We still go out and play hard and play to win, but the emphasis is getting the new guys in there and building them up some experience for the spring season when we compete for a league championship.”

Two rookie players scored their first goals, and another tried out in goal for most of the first game, said senior Brent Beveroth. The focus of Fall Ball is to allow those inexperienced players time on the field to learn the game and learn to work with their teammates.

“The first game went quite well but our biggest challenge in the first game was setting up the offense and getting good shots from our base offense,” senior Mike Shea said.

The fundamentals will be the focus during practices for the next two weeks, senior Nick Bower said. Ball control will be a major focal point, as well as defense and transitions.

In their second contest, the Pioneers faced Madison White, the a-side team. The Pioneers fell by a score of 2-13 to White. A few quick shots on defensive breakdowns allowed Madison to take an early lead in the game.

Now that the rookies have had game-time experience, the team can work on fine tuning ball lines and defensive work. Growing player numbers has given the team an advantage that they haven’t seen in previous years, which will also make playing time during the spring season tougher to lock in, coach Matthew Mikulecky said.

“It comes down to who is dedicated to playing the game and who wants to put in the time to improve.  We, as an executive board, are going to have to be stricter with attendance at practices and the overall motivation of players,” Mikuleckey said. “Those who put in the time will be the ones who play.”