Trent Excalibur Lacrosse teams ready to get 2021-22 season started
The 2021-22 lacrosse season officially gets underway on Sunday, September 19 for both Excalibur women's and men's teams. The women's Excalibur lacrosse team enters as the reigning OUA champions from 2019 while the men's team is hungry to challenge for the CUFLA Baggataway Cup after two years away.
Hosting the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks at Justin Chiu Stadium in a Sunday doubleheader, veteran midfielder, Victoria Clark and the varsity women's lacrosse team hopes to get the season off to a good start.
"We are all excited about the upcoming season and to have the opportunity to defend our title," Victoria said. "We hope to be able to represent Trent well throughout the 2021 season and to bring the Patterson Cup back to Trent."
After a postponed 2020 season, the women's team returns with a strong core of veteran players remaining from the 2019 Patterson Cup win. Defensive midfielder Cassidy Assink joins Clark as does goalie Emily VanDamme, who returns to protect the Excalibur net as one of the top goalies in the country.
"For two years we have just been practicing against each other and are excited to play against an opponent," said head coach Tori Wasson. "We have a great squad with experience and some fresh new blood that is ready to play! It's going to be an exciting season!"
On the men's side. the team is coming off a 14-11 exhibition game victory over Everest Academy on Tuesday at Justin Chiu Stadium and look to get their regular season started on the same note as they visit the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday night.
With talent throughout the lineup, including National Lacrosse League draft picks Curtis Romanchych (Toronto), Curtis Conley (Colorado), the team's leadership core is also joined by Dylan Hutchinson, Cam Milligan, and Aidan Mclaughlin.
Romanchych echoes the excitement from the women's team and is excited to get back on the field with the team again. "It's an amazing feeling to get the opportunity to put the Excalibur jersey on again after almost 2 years off. We're all excited for the upcoming season and got a great group of guys this year committed to bringing the Baggattaway Cup home for the first time. With a shortened season it's really important we get off to a hot start against Toronto on Sunday and keep improving every week. Every game matters and the boys are ready for the challenge."
Co-captain Curtis Conley agrees with Romanchych, as the team is hungry to get their season back underway.
"Every game is a must win, different from other years where you have a little bit of breathing room. But obviously coming off a loss in the championship game in our last regular year has left us with a sour taste in our mouth and the boys have been battling day in and day out since last fall expecting nothing less than to be hoisting the Baggatway Cup at the end of the year," Conley said. "The last year and a half have been building to the moment when we get to step on the field again, and when we hit the field this weekend we're going to be ready and fired up to be back out there together as a family."