Courtesy of Brian Beard

Last week, the men’s lacrosse team (11–0; 8–0 NESCAC) battled against two conference opponents to remain undefeated on the season.

On Wednesday, the Polar Bears traveled to Lewiston to face Bates College (8–4; 4–4 NESCAC) in a midweek showdown. The Bobcats led 4–1 towards the end of the first quarter before the Polar Bear defense beared down, allowing only one goal over the next 40-plus minutes. Sam Raye-Steiner ’26 scored five goals, and Chris Berry ’27 had two goals and dished out four assists in the 13–10 win.

Captain Alex Byrne ’26 noted how the team countered Bates’s pressure and had to work hard until the clock hit triple zeros.

“I think going up to Lewiston is always a challenge because Bates always gets up for us. You can never take them lightly,” Byrne said. “I think we had control of the game for most of the game, and at the end, they had a late surge. Especially in conference, especially with teams like Bates, you can never take your foot off the gas.”

The Polar Bears flipped the script in the first quarter in Saturday’s game versus Trinity College (5–7; 1–6 NESCAC). Casey Ryan ’27 scored three goals to give the Polar Bears an early lead.

Coming out of halftime with a 7–3 lead, the Polar Bear offense was stifled in a scoreless third quarter. The Bantams tied the game going into the final quarter.

Despite giving up the lead, goaltender Alec Delgado ’28 had confidence in the defense around him to give the offense a chance to win the game.

“Some of the smartest guys I know, lacrosse-wise, are on the defensive side of the ball. I feel so confident with those guys in front of me at all times because they always know what they’re doing,” Delgado said. “Sometimes, it sounds like gibberish to me what they’re saying after a goal. But I’m like, ‘All right, they know what they’re doing, we got the next one.’”

Early into the fourth quarter, Cormac Walsh ’28 scored to put the team up 8–7, but Trinity answered quickly. Both teams traded a few possessions before Berry intercepted a ball and ran down the field to tally a goal with less than five minutes left in the game. In the next Trinity possession, Delgado made two saves to keep the Polar Bear lead, and Nico Schermer ’27 caused a turnover to seal the deal with a 9–8 final score.

“I pride myself on being a routine-oriented person. After every goal, I always remove myself from the crease and do a little routine to keep myself grounded,” Delgado said.

The team played on Wednesday night versus Colby College (4–7; 1–6 NESCAC), controlling the game from the opening faceoff to win 19–12.

Byrne, whose father and older brother Will Byrne ’24 also played for the Polar Bears, reflected on the importance of having a home field like Whittier.

“[Now] in my fourth year, I don’t think there’s a better stadium I’ve ever played in. And it’s so special for us. We’ve only lost on that field twice in my four years, which is pretty incredible,” Byrne said. “Everyone just knows there’s something different about playing on Whittier, and to be able to go out there and play with everyone, sharing that experience is super special.”

Byrne explained what he believes to be the team’s ceiling, which involves approaching each game as the only game to focus on.

“First and foremost, as a captain, I think just helping lead this team to a NESCAC championship and national championship, two goals we’ve set at the beginning of the year, and that we are definitely capable of,” Byrne said. “In years past, I [fell] victim to looking ahead and saying what’s gonna happen. I am really trying to keep guys level and not get too low in the lows or riding the highs too high.”

The Polar Bears will return to Whittier Field for their last home game of the season in a non-conference matchup against the University of Massachusetts Boston (6–5) tomorrow at 7 p.m.