The John Carroll men's lacrosse team kicked off its spring 2009 season with a scrimmage against local rival Kent State University at the Kent State Fieldhouse on Feb. 11th. In the first action for both teams this year, mistakes were plentiful, and Kent capitalized on more opportunities to come out on top 11-6.
Both teams were looking to lay groundwork for a solid season and were rusty, but Kent's depth played a major part in the game. For John Carroll, it was the first opportunity to be out on a full field and that, coupled with the team being shorthanded, led to several breakdowns. The Streaks were hurt as starting goalie Aaron Syguda was out, though freshman Matt Pistella, on short notice, stepped in admirably and performed well in his first action in the net. With the inexperienced keeper, the defense needed to step up, and seniors Pat Bloomstine and Chad Palmer had strong games in the losing effort.
With returning starter Pat Durkin out as well, the team struggled to find its game in the first half. As the game progresses, the offense settled down, and freshmen Kevin Barker and Frank Kinmonth became more assertive, netting 2 goals each in the 2nd half. Also, Charlie Rizzo, starting in Durkin's absence, added a goal and an assist, but the mental mistakes and lack of patience proved to be too much as Kent's Logan Parsons and Joe Idone put in strong games to lead Kent past JCU.