Sometimes, sports is more about learning from tough losses than about exulting in big wins.

For the eighth ranked Denison men’s lacrosse team, they had to do just that. They dropped two tough games against 10th ranked Amherst and 16th ranked Dickinson on their spring break trip. The team was able to rebound, and according to defender Jack Scalia ‘21, learning from, and rallying around one another after those losses played a major role.

“The spring break trip certainly had a rough start with two tough loses to top 20 opponents on back to back days. However, I think that adversity really helped the team rally around one another and regain focus. This has certainly brought the group closer together,” said Jack Scalia.

Since those two losses, the Big Red have outscored their opponents 43-21 across three games, including a tough win over a strong Middlebury squad.

Early in the game, Middlebury worked for a 3-1 lead over the Big Red. However, the team was able to roar back to a convincing 12-7 victory.

“Middlebury was a huge game for us and an opportunity to make a statement, said Scalia. “Once we settled in, our offense exploded and we were able to control the game. We had a great game plan going into the contest and the only real adjustments was to play our brand of lacrosse.”

It was attackman Peter Pittroff ‘20 who led the comeback effort for the Big Red. He finished with one goal, but his six assists on the day played an integral role in the comeback.

Attackman Brooks Davy ‘19 also played a huge part in the win. He finished with four goals to go along with an assist.

What played the biggest role? Well, according to Scalia, it was heart.

“Heart is synonymous with Denison lacrosse,” Scalia said.”

They followed up their comeback with an utterly dominant performance against conference opponent Wittenberg.

The Big Red jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the second quarter and never looked back, finishing the score with a convincing 19-6 win.

Midfielder Owen Armstrong ‘19 led the way with three goals. Attackman Spencer Butler ‘19 had two goals. He also had an assist.

As for the future, this team has championship aspirations. They made it to the Final Four last year.

According to Scalia however, just being as good as they can is what’s important.

“We are trying to be the best team we can be. We’ve had a few setbacks but we believe in each other and what we are doing. Our goal is to play our best lacrosse and find quality through consistent play. If we do this, I think our team is capable of anything.”

The eighth ranked men’s lacrosse team looks to stay undefeated North Coast Athletic Conference Play when they take on Hiram at 7pm on Thursday at Deeds Field.