The Pepperdine men’s lacrosse team has had its ups and down the past few seasons. Two years ago the Waves advanced to the West Coast Championship game but lost in overtime. In 2008 many players struggled with commitment and the team missed the postseason altogether.
This season the circumstances are drastically different according to junior midfielder and Co-Captain Carter Sapp.
“The tone of practice has changed a lot Sapp said. Especially the defense. They’re pretty much business all the time. They’re always on top of things analyzing mistakes. That’s mainly because we have several guys that weren’t here last year that are here now. And the way they play lacrosse is to win.”
Another key reason for Sapp’s optimism lis the depth he said this year’s team boasts. With more commitment comes more contributions from more players something that both Sapp and Head Coach freshman Max Biederman agree could prove vitally instrumental for this team moving forward.
“Based on what I saw in the fall we could be very competitive Biederman said. We have a really strong defense a lot of experience back there. We have two solid midfield lines.
“The offense takes a lot of playing together and working together until it solidifies in games. So right now our defense and maybe our depth would be our strengths. That’s very helpful when you can play a lot of guys when it’s hot.”
Originally slated to play and compete on the field Biederman tore his ACL in the first fall preseason game effectively stopping any chance to play this season. However the team decided not to bring back its coach from last year and needed someone to take the reigns and provide that leadership role. Biederman was the guy.
“He went to a pretty big lacrosse school on the east coast so he was coached by some very good lacrosse coaches and has a lot of knowledge of the game he’s brought from that experience Sapp said. We all kind of chip in and help out off the field and make suggestions but for the most part he makes the calls and has done a good job.”
Biederman said he is not the most knowledgeable and experienced lacrosse player to lead a team so respect would have to be earned. But as a student of the game Biederman said watching from the sidelines has opened his eyes to facets of lacrosse that might end up making him a better player in the long run.
“I first became like the interim kind of coach and they handed me the reigns cause we didn’t have a coach Biederman said. They thought I did a really good job and they respected me as the coach. And I wanted to be part of the team so I stuck with it.
“It’s been a lot of fun. It gives you a different angle at the game. You’ve got to figure out how to make the whole team better and not just yourself so that actually might be more fun for me to do.”
Two guys both Biederman and Sapp agree have bolstered the defensive side of the ball are junior defenders Zach Bloom and Pierce Brown. Bloom co-captain said this year’s squad has a significant shot to compete with the best teams Divison II has to offer.
“We’re definitely a solid group Bloom said. This team can do a lot this season based on what I’ve seen so far. I think we can compete with the best of them so it should be a fun year.”
The team has played a couple games already. But since they were against teams in different leagues they did not count on the record. The Waves’ first official game is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. when they face off against Concordia at Alumni Park.
“This should be a good test to where we stand in the league Biederman said. They’re a middle-of-the-road team so it’ll be a good barometer for us to see where our team lies.”