Washington eager to turn moral victories into quality ones

Washington has put 2011 in the rearview mirror, but the gnawing feeling of a missed opportunity lingers.

The Shoremen finished last season with a 5-9 overall record and a 2-6 mark in the Centennial Conference, but they dropped four one-goal contests and a two-goal game. In a four-game stretch, the team lost to Franklin & Marshall, 10-9, defeated Muhlenberg, 9-6, and then lost to Ursinus and Dickinson by respective scores of 9-8 and 10-9.

Still, coach Jeff Shirk said there were some positives to take from the setbacks.

“It showed guys that we were close, and the way I think it really benefitted us in the offseason was it really motivated guys to put in that extra work because they understood that we were one step away and 10 goals away from being a 10-win team,” he said. “So I think it gave us confidence in the fact that we were a good lacrosse team and we were close last year, but in order to get over that hump and give ourselves a chance for success this year, we had to work harder in the offseason.”

A possible side effect of narrow losses is a sense of frustration and helplessness pervading the program, but Shirk said he has not seen the players affected in such a manner.

“You want to keep guys motivated and make sure that they don’t put their heads down,” he said. “And I think our guys have really taken the road of, ‘We were close. We can do this. We just need to work a little harder and be a little more prepared.’ So I think it’s really been a big positive.”

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