Oct. 18, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The night was filled with hugs, handshakes and, if you can believe it, some hard hits. The annual Maryland men's lacrosse alumni game was played on Friday night to officially bring an end to the 2008 Fall Ball season. No official score was kept, but it was easy to figure out that the current Terps trumped their predecessors, but that wasn't what the evening was about.
The night was a reunion of men who share a common bond, returning to College Park to play a game they love and reminisce about days of past glory and triumph. For some, like Joe Walters, a member of the 2008 MLL Champion Rochester Rattlers, and Casey Connor, a member of the Washington Bayhawks, the game is a chance to have some fun with some former teammates. For others this is the only time each year that they strap on the pads, lace up their cleats and dust off their stick. But in the end they all return because the University of Maryland and its men's lacrosse program is more than the team they once played for - it's their family.
For a while it looked like the Alumni team wasn't going to have a goalie, so Coach Dave Cottle sent over sophomore Mark White to play for the alums. But just as the game was ready to begin, a pair of familiar faces ran onto the field; one with a goalie stick with fluorescent green mesh, the other with a white helmet with an American flag Peace Frog sticker. The Alfords, Harry and Thomas, arrived and Harry immediately kicked White out of the goal and took his place between the pipes.
The night got off to a fast start for the "old guys" when 2006 graduate David Tamberrino, a face-off guy who totaled one goal in four seasons, scored the first goal of the game. From there it was pretty much it went downhill for the alums. Sophomores Tony Mendes and Ryan Young scored a pair of quick goals and the current Terps were off to the races.
But the night was about having fun and everyone seemed to have a good time. Jimmy Borell, who has "gone Hollywood" and flew on a red eye from California to make the game, bent his stick and decided to play some long pole for a while. Steve Whittenberg laid some lumber on the youngsters with a trio of checks that earned him slashing fouls. As he walked to the box he smiled and said, "I've got three more to give, right?"
Tamberrino ended up scoring one more goal as the game wound down, tying his career collegiate output for points (he had two on a goal and an assist). But he was out-done by sophomore midfielder Scott LaRue, who tallied three scores for the current Terps and had many on the alumni sideline asking, "Who's that guy?"
In the end the score didn't matter. What mattered was the camaraderie that took place. The post-game handshake line may have taken longer than the game itself as old friends and new friends alike shook hands and hugged. After all they were all Terps and that meant they were family.
