By Will Fairfax
The lacrosse team opened the season Tuesday night in snowy conditions, beating Butler 12-9.
The Trojans took a 3-1 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Butler got back into the game as the Bulldogs claimed a 5-4 lead at halftime.
Taylor and Butler both scored three goals in the third quarter, and Taylor trailed 8-7 entering the fourth.
Taylor has had a history of losing games in the fourth quarter, but not on Tuesday night. Taylor outscored Butler 5-1 in the fourth to secure the victory.
Head coach Cheyenne West said his team was not going to let their past mistakes in the fourth quarter haunt them and that this year's team is different.
"It was a change in culture on this team," West said. "We've kind of always been known as a team that in the fourth quarter we lose the game, we run out of steam, we don't have the depth, we don't have the numbers, we don't have the skill level. These guys basically made the decision that that's not the kind of team that we want to be anymore."
Senior Brett Ladley, who was instrumental in the win, finished with two goals, five assists and five ground balls. He said that he is excited to be a part of this talented group.
"Our team is incredibly diverse with a lot of scoring threats," Ladley said. "I owe all of my assists to my teammates finding the back of the net."
Conditioning and a fast-paced tempo led to much of the Trojans' success.
"Top to bottom we had better players and that starts with the incoming guys," said senior . "We were conditioned well, we were able to set the pace and the tempo. Although we did not always execute properly, we were able to go the distance."
Gemmel, a long stick midfielder, had a big game for Taylor, finishing with six ground balls. He forced a number of turnovers and drew some penalties as well. He was awarded player of the game by his coaches.
"That kid is a motor, he just never stops, he never complains," West said. "You give me 40 Will Gemmels and I'll win a national championship. That guy is a beast and he really made some big plays in the fourth for us."
Junior Sam Wright finished with a team-high four goals. Sophomore Scott Collins and senior Matt Witt added two goals each. Senior John Radcliff was in goal, finishing with three saves and a .250 save percentage.
Despite the win, West said that his team has room to improve and needs to learn to not make excuses for their performance.
"In order for us to improve we just need to learn to execute in any scenario," West said. "The snow thoroughly leveled the playing field. We were a much better team than Butler, but the snow slowed our team down. Throughout the first three quarters we were not mentally tough. . . . The fourth quarter is when these guys put all excuses aside."
The Trojans will take on Northwood University at 7 p.m. tonight on the road.
