The Emerson Lions continued their hot streak Wednesday, April 8, winning their fifth game in a row, a 12-5 victory over Husson College. After finishing last season with a less-than-stellar 4-12 record, the Lions have already bested that mark just over halfway into the season.
If the Lions’ streak was threatened at all against Husson, it would have been at the very beginning of the game, albeit very briefly. But after the Eagles jumped out to a 1-0 lead, the Lions ripped off five consecutive goals, including three straight by sophomore Josh Anderson, who netted five in the game. Then in the second half, the Lions continued their dominance, eventually winning 12-5 and extending their streak another game.
“It’s big,” said senior Jake Frank, who also scored in the victory over Husson. “I think this is the first time Emerson lacrosse has ever had a five-game win streak. It’s much more fun when you’re winning like this – everything’s better when you’re winning like this.”
Led by the scoring duo of Frank and Anderson, the Lions have reached double digits in each of the five wins, overpowering their opponents on offense. The defensive side of the ball has been anchored by the likes of freshman goalie Pat Curran, who has a .861 save percentage on the year.
“Basically we’re just playing as a team right now and that’s a big thing,” said Curran, who made 31 saves in an April 5 game against the Monks. “We have a lot of confidence in each other, we’re not getting frustrated and we keep pushing hard.”
After ending last year on the outside of the playoffs looking in, the Lions didn’t appear any better off this year, losing their first two games to Becker College and Castelton State. Then, sitting at 0-2 right off the bat, the Lions got a key win over Daniel Webster back on March 25 and haven’t looked back.
The wins haven’t exactly been scrappy either, having at least a seven-goal margin of victory in four of their five wins-the only exception being their win over St. Joseph’s College by six.
“We had a pretty ambitious game plan for last season,” said Frank. “We got off to a real slow start, but we definitely had the talent. This year, we’re just having a lot more fun with it.”
Curran, recipient of the NAC Lacrosse Rookie of the Week award, is quick to credit his teammates with the success.
“It feels great, it really feels great,” said the Framingham native. “The guys around me are a big reason why I’m playing how I am. I cant take all the credit, I mean we’re just keeping the balls out of the net and they’re getting them in-we’re playing as a team.”