(Photo: Jodi Vosika/ASU Lacrosse)
For captains in any sport, rivalries are a beautiful thing.
The days leading up to just another regular season matchup often require a team’s leaders to kick team-motivating up a notch. The days leading up to a key match-up against a hated rival rarely require such motivating.
The Arizona State lacrosse team (3-0) has needed no extra push this week, with a date against Chapman on March 2.
“Chapman is our rival. We don’t need to say anything. It’s chippy, no matter what,” co-captain Justin Straker said.
The captains don’t let everything go unsaid, however.
“There is a lot of emphasis, there’s more pressure. We put more pressure on guys during this week since it’s a big game.” Ian Connell, also a co-captain, added. “It’s always a big game, they’re our fiercest rivals so there’s always a lot of extra pressure.”
While a game of this magnitude carries a life of its own inside a locker room, it does not necessarily alter a team’s approach, especially for such a talented Sun Devil squad.
Loaded with plenty of returning starters and talent across the board, ASU is once again in national title contention this season. Such high expectations have led to a no-holds-barred approach to every game.
“We try to go in with the mindset that we’re going to beat every team to a pulp, we’re gonna step on the pedal and keep going. (A rivalry game) doesn’t change the mindset, everyone is just a little more fired up,” senior Brian Braasch said.
The rivalry between these two teams has been brewing for years.
Senior captain Ian Connell points to his freshman year, when the Sun Devils jumped out to a big lead and held the Panthers to three goals in an MCLA national quarterfinals matchup, as his career’s shining moment over the rival. It was a strong defensive effort that the defenseman would like to see again.
“That game I probably came out with the most confidence after playing them and it’s one of those games I’d like to repeat on Sunday,” he added.
There’s additional dissatisfaction with the inability to beat Chapman in consecutive games.
“We’ve never beaten them every time in a season. We’re making sure that we accomplish all of our goals this season and one of those is an undefeated season. Beating them on their turf is one of the main focuses,” co-captain Logan Quinn said.
The history is there between these two teams, especially with so many players from each team returning from last season.
“They’re returning a lot of guys, we’re returning a lot of guys. It’s gonna be a lot of the same of what we’ve seen in the past, too,” Connell said. “We’ve gone up against most of their players several times so I feel like we’re pretty prepared.”
That extra sense of familiarity has lent itself to allowing ASU to focus on their own game this week. Something of emphasis in particular has been the start of games, as the first quarter has not been their strong suit in the season’s first three matches.
A fast start not only keeps the opponent playing catch-up from the beginning but can allow for resting players and shuffling lineups late in games, as well.
“We’re trying to limit the turnovers, get off to a fast start and make sure that we’re burying teams early so that we can put it in cruise control and maybe rest up and get some of the guys in that don’t get a lot of playing time,” Quinn said.
Aside from working on the aesthetics of their game, ASU captains are reminding their team about the pressure that comes with the territory of playing a noted rival. With a long week of practice in the books, that pressure is reaching a tipping point.
“You can tell everything is a little more tense. Everyone’s aching to just get out to California and play these guys,” Braasch added.
Straker toned down the pressure, however, noting that the focus remains on walking out with a victory.
“Pressure? No, it’s Chapman. Beating them every time, that’s all that matters.”
Each of the captains tip-toed around using the word “hate” to describe the rivalry, though they all acknowledged what this Sunday’s meeting stands for.
Quinn simply shook his head with a smirk when asked if “hate” was the right word. Braasch turned to “dislike” to describe the relationship. Straker advised that letting their feisty play do the talking would provide the clearest explanation.
However, Connell put it best: “There’s a bigger want to beat these guys, there’s a bigger want to rub it in these guys faces. I wouldn’t say there’s hate, but there’s definitely some animosity.”
Word choice aside, Arizona State and Chapman are not fond of one another. That much is clear.
With the week of practice done and the Sun Devils set to make their way to the Golden State, there remains only one thing on their mind: victory.
You can reach Brett Deckert on Twitter @Brett_Deckert or via email at bdeckert@asu.edu.
