The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Lacrosse

  • Cal Poly Humboldt’s lacrosse team celebrates 40 years

    Cal Poly Humboldt’s lacrosse team celebrates 40 years

    by Kae Dennert

    Cal Poly Humboldt’s Lacrosse team is celebrating its 40th year as an official club on campus. The team has grown in size to be the largest they have ever been, with nearly 30 members. They practice three days a week, yet still ensure that  their athletes can prioritize school and keep the sport fun. 

    Head Coach Danny Eggert has been a part of the team for the past three years and is excited about the growth of the team. He’s looking forward to the improvement of the team and wants to see the players do the best they can.

    “[The] goal [is] to win,” Eggart said. “To do better than before.”

    Eggart is proud of the team’s club status and has no plans to push for the team to be a part of the NCAA sports. For now, their club is to hang out and have fun, and not be a job for his athletes.

    Sophomore geology major and athlete Luca Ricci has been on the team since he came to Cal Poly Humboldt. Going into his second year, he is excited for the prospects of the upcoming season.

    “I’m on the lacrosse team because I love the teamwork,” Ricci said. “We have a brotherhood on and off the field.”

    Assistant Coach Gus Johnson himself used to be on the team from 2008-2011 and has been coaching since 2020. Though they are still early into their pre-season, he is excited for the competition coming into their upcoming season. 

    “It’s early, it’s the off-season,” Johnson said, “but playoffs are definitely the target this year.”

    The team only had four athletes graduate out last year, and have eight to ten coming in. Their main goal for this season is to make it to the playoffs,  try their best, while still having fun and making sure they aren’t overloading their students.

    “We try to respect that they’re students first, it’s college and we want them to have fun,” Johnson said. “It means a lot. These guys have been here forever and to be consistent and still fill the team, it really speaks to how much these students care about it and want to play.”

    With 40 years as a club, the team has made a name for themselves, continuing to grow and enjoy the space they have on campus. Anyone is welcome to join the club and can apply online under the recreational sports section of the Humboldt website.

    “Hopefully, we come out as a winning team to represent 40 years of hard work.” Eggart said. “We have possibly 30 right now on the roster, so having numbers on there is amazing.”

  • Humboldt Lacrosse Season Comes To An End

    by Jake Knoeller

    Originally printed April 26, 2023

    The Cal Poly Humboldt lacrosse team saw their season come to an end last Friday in a 16-10 loss at the Redwood Bowl against the Southern Oregon University Raiders. 

    Southern Oregon jumped out to an early 4-1 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Humboldt had spells where they seemed to get back into the game, but these runs would be halted before getting very threatening. However, these moments did spark some life into the players and the fans. 

    “I think our team’s biggest strength is how close everyone is and how well we faced major adversity,” said senior goaltender Zack Gamble. “We never once broke down and started bickering or getting down on each other.”

    Freshman attacker Ben Jasinski scored nine goals during the game, which tied the team record from 1989. The Hogs scored eight goals in total in their previous season. 

    “Ben’s a cheat code,” said Humboldt assistant coach Augustus Johnson. “His performance this last weekend against SOU just solidifies that.”

    In the end, the Raiders scored four times in each quarter and cruised to their second win of the season.

    “It was a hard game and the boys all played their hardest until the final whistle and showed great sportsmanship,” said senior defender Brandon Nordenstrom.

    The Hogs finished their season with a 1-5 record and their one win against UC Santa Cruz in early March, their first win over the school in 10 years. This was an improvement from finishing 0-7 in the 2022 season. 

    “It was my last game so it was very bittersweet,” said Gamble. “We’ve spent the last three years rebuilding but finally have a solid foundation to work with.”

    The Spring 2024 season is going to be the team’s 40th season. They will look to take another step forward with an extremely young squad.

    “We’re hoping it’s going to signal a new era for the team,” said Gamble. “It’ll be the same old Hogs, but hopefully in the win column a lot more.”

    A lengthy offseason awaits the Hogs as they have a chance to build on the progress they have already made.

    “I’m really excited to see how we start next season off,” said Nordenstrom. “I have no doubt that our freshman team captain, Ben Jasinski, will take charge of the young Hogs and show most of these guys what hard work and dedication earns you.”

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Lacrosse team is looking to build with a much bigger roster

    Cal Poly Humboldt Lacrosse team is looking to build with a much bigger roster

    by Jake Knoeller

    It’s 5 p.m. on a Tuesday night early in September in the Fieldhouse. Training is already off and running. Many members of the team are very excited about what this team can potentially bring, especially with their newfound depth after struggling to finish last season due to a low amount of players. 

    “We’ve got numbers now,” said team captain Zack Gamble. “We spent all summer recruiting and finally having a full crew of guys that really know what they’re doing is an awesome feeling.” 

    Gamble has been playing lacrosse for 12 years, and his hard work is what earned him the position of captain. 

    “We put in a lot of time and a lot of work,” said Gamble. “It’s paid dividends so far.” 

    He is a goaltender, which comes with a lot of responsibility. According to him, lacrosse is a very robust sport. 

    “There’s something in it for everybody,” said Gamble. “Whether you like to be more physical like a hockey player, or be a little finesse-oriented like a basketball player.” 

    Gamble believes that once they get everybody on the same page and bonding as a team they will be a force to be reckoned with in the league. The coaches are also all in on this team after stepping up to find more players over the summer. 

    “We’ve got a lot of experience,” said head Coach Augustus Johnson. “A lot of these guys out here are new players for us but they all played in high school or they’ve played some kind of club ball a little bit.” 

    Johnson is hoping for the team to work on their game IQ before their first game.

     “I really want these guys to know what to do and when to do it,” said Johnson. “I want these guys to be like Steph Curry and just don’t stop running even when they don’t have the ball.” 

    Having the ability to substitute more with higher numbers will allow players to do this. Assistant coach Daniel Eggert feels good about the way the team connects and his relationship with the players. 

    “Last year I kinda got thrown in late into the year and it was a tough season all around, but you know I connected with everyone pretty well,” said Eggert. “It’s been much better this year so far, I mean the season’s looking pretty good right now.” 

    Eggert said the team is specifically skilled with their short-pulls and many of the players can rip the ball well. He said they just need to get to know each other better so they can be good at working together when it’s time to officially take the field. 

    The team will have to wait until February 2023 for their first official game, but they are planning to play some scrimmages in October and an alumni game on Nov. 5. 

    “That’ll be this current squad against myself and some of the other Humboldt alumni,” said Eggert. 

    Their early start to training shows how dedicated this team is to being successful. They have numbers and depth this year, which means they’re aiming to step up from the last few years.

  • Humboldt Hogs play last home game

    Humboldt Hogs play last home game

    by Eddie Carpenter

    On April 9, Humboldt Men’s Lacrosse Team competed against UCSC Banana Slugs in their final game of a winless season. The Humboldt Hogs fought against significant gusts of wind at the Redwood Bowl under a cloudless sky.

    Freshman Gino Grier expressed an insurmountable passion for the sport itself.

    “This sport is beautiful,” Grier said. “There’s barely enough time to think! It’s like driving too fast, really. If you think, you’re behind someone… It’s gotta be animalistic in a way. You see everyone out here? They’re happy not because we lost, but they’re happy with a loss. That’s my team right there, and I’m proud as hell of that!”

    As a long-stick midfielder, Grier loves lacrosse because it keeps him balanced. The Hogs have played the whole year with the minimum number of players necessary to compete. Seth Velasco, the senior team captain, gave it his all on the field on Saturday.

    “This is my last game. I would’ve liked… a win, but I mean, I just enjoy playing lacrosse,” Velasco said. “Ever since I started playing it in high school, I enjoyed it. It was my favorite game to play. I enjoy being a part of this team. We only had three guys starting this season off, so recruiting a bunch of guys getting them to join the sport. It was fun. I wouldn’t want to play with another team.”

    During halftime, the Humboldt Hogs take mustard shots for muscle cramps. Currently, there’s no scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of using mustard to help treat or prevent muscle cramps. Needless to say, the Hogs are hungry to rebuild after two seasons lost to COVID-19. Before the season opener, the team hadn’t had a home game in 753 days due to the pandemic.

    Zack Gamble is Humboldt’s other senior team captain. Gamble expressed how his team overcame a lot of adversity this season.

    “Seth, Riley, and I worked really hard to bring the team back from nothing,” Gamble said. “And we’ve got a solid squad of guys here now. And these guys just have no quit in them. I mean it’s just been an honor playing on this team. Despite having no subs [and] no help— half of the time, we don’t really have enough guys at practice. We were able to put a season together and really show people what Humboldt Lacrosse is about.”

    Humboldt Men’s Lacrosse is all about heart and soul. The team has a new coach under a new school name and they are preparing for their 40th anniversary. The Hogs have shown that the sport was about putting up a good fight when the odds were stacked against them.

    Senior defenseman Riley Switzler expressed the need for his squad to work like clockwork.

    “I would like to see everyone come together as a team more,” Switzler said. “I’d like to see more team camaraderie. Everybody being friends with each other and being there for each other on and off the field… We could put up more of a fight against these bigger schools.”

    Photo by Eddie Carpenter | Humboldt Hogs posed for a team photo. From left to right: Assistant Coach Gus Johnson, Brandon Nordenstrom, Riley Switzler, Gino Grier, Foster Smith, River Galas, Hunter Hartman, Sam Emerson, Chase Harwell, Seth Velasco, Logan Sorenson, Zack Gamble, Johnathon Macias, and Coach Danny Eggert.
  • Humboldt Hogs go Ham: CPH Men’s Lacrosse

    Humboldt Hogs go Ham: CPH Men’s Lacrosse

    by Morgan Hancock

    This week saw two home games for the Humboldt Hogs, Cal Poly Humboldt’s own men’s lacrosse team. The team put up a fight during their Saturday game but ultimately lost to Chico.

    They didn’t let the Wildcats go easily. A strong defense led by goalie Zack Gamble held off the Wildcats for nearly the whole game. The score stuck at 1-7 until the last five minutes of the game.

    The Hogs were down but not giving any room for the Wildcats to score. At around four minutes left on the clock, Humboldt goalie Zack Gamble received a penalty after reacting to a less-than-savory hit from one of the Wildcats.

    “We may lose on the scoreboard, but we send that other team back to where they came from hurtin’,” Gamble said. “This season, we’re not underdogs– we’re like the junkyard dogs. The one thing every team has said about us is we never quit.”

    The Hogs only have twelve members on their team, leaving only one sub. The Wildcats continuously pulled from athletes on the bench while the Hogs gave them sixty minutes of hell. With Gamble out on penalty, there were no subs. River Galas, another defender, quickly swapped out stick and pads to fill the Gamble-sized hole in front of the net. The final score of 1-13 was a vast improvement from Wednesday’s game.

    “It was one of our closer games,” Hunter Hartman said. “Chico is normally a really good team, so it was cool to see this game be a close one. It’s really hard with no subs. We’re definitely gassed. The better half of our game is usually the second half since we’re used to being gassed and the other team isn’t.”

    The team is already getting psyched for the next game on April 9 against the UC Santa Cruz’s Banana Slugs. Substitute coach Sam Barton thinks the team is improving and makes up for a lack of players.

    “These kids got some good fight in them,” said Barton. “These guys are working hard, they got three more games left, and Santa Cruz has always been a good rival game.”

  • HSU club lacrosse celebrates 420 with a W

    HSU club lacrosse celebrates 420 with a W

    The Hogs run wild and become playoff eligible

    In the wind tunnel that is College Creek field the HSU club lacrosse team, better known as the “Hogs,” hosted San Jose State, for a chance to make the playoffs.The Hogs started fast, using the senior day crowd as a home field advantage. They built momentum and took control of the game early.

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    Justin Turner firing a shot high over the San Jose States defense. | Photo by Matt Shiffler

    The game was crucial for the Hogs playoff chances because the winner would face UC Davis the following weekend, in the first round of the playoffs. The early morning start time was foreign to the Hogs, who practice four days a week, all in the afternoon.

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    Senior Logan Salcuni scoops up the ball and gets Humboldt’s offense started. | Photo by Matt Shiffler

    Senior Logan Salcuni admitted he was nervous about the morning start.

    “We always practice or watch film in the afternoon. So I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to come out with so much momentum because we normally don’t play that early in the morning.”

    The first half went quick as the Hogs controlled possession throughout and took a 9-3 lead into the break. They were able to win faceoffs, and control the tempo of the game by executing passes, screens, and shots.

    The Hogs defense set the tone for the game early and continued through the first half. They were able to build off consistent blocking from Sophomore goalie Liam Birmingham, who commanded his interior defense, and was able to make 13 saves. The Hogs were able to keep the Spartans out of the middle by collapsing the defense when a Spartan would try to make a run.

    The help defense was key to giving the Hogs a six-point lead at the half, and gave the offense momentum to create, and capitalize on opportunities.

    Skylar Nitz taking a crosscheck from a San Jose State midfielder. | Photo by Matt Shiffler

    Junior Liam Salcuni was thrilled on the team’s ability to stop the Spartans while a man down.

    “We were able to move into our box and one defense when a man down to slow them down,” Salcuni said. “Without good communication, and switches we would not have been able to stop them, or even compete today.”

    Skylar Nitz taking a crosscheck from a San Jose State midfielder. | Photo by Matt Shiffler

    The second half came and went as the Hogs built on their lead, as from Logan Salcuni scored seven goals, and capped off his HSU career by scoring off his assist from his older brother.

    The game ended 16-6 in favor of the Hogs, sending them to the playoffs, and giving them a date with UC Davis the weekend of April 27. They’re facing an uphill battle, as they’ll try to knock off the nationally ranked number one seed, something that has always proven to be tricky.

    For now, the Hogs look to celebrate the senior day win, the playoff berth, and a successful winning season.

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    Players embrace | Photo by Matt Shiffler