Mike Zirrolli played lacrosse before many large crowds during his high school career at Broadneck.
It was not unusual for Zirrolli and the Bruins to take to the field at Lawrence E. Knight Stadium in front of a standing-room-only crowd against such Anne Arundel County rivals as Severna Park and Annapolis. Zirrolli, a midfielder, is currently a senior playing at Goucher College.
However, while Goucher is located just a few miles away from Division I lacrosse powers such as Towson, Loyola and defending national champion Johns Hopkins, Zirrolli and the Gophers toil in relative obscurity. Such is life in Division III athletics, where there are no scholarships, little media coverage and a slim chance of anyone getting to play their chosen sport professionally.
These athletes, who often miss just as much class time and practice just as hard as their Division I counterparts, are truly playing for the love of the game.
Evidence of this was on full display Tuesday as Goucher hosted Mary Washington in the quarterfinals of the Capital Athletic Conference men?s lacrosse tournament.
On a beautiful, sunny spring afternoon, Goucher overcame some sloppy passing and difficulty scooping up groundballs to win, 14-6. Goucher advanced to the tournament semifinals, and was slated to face defending Division III national champion Salisbury on Friday. Junior attack Dan Flamholz (Park) finished with two goals and two assists in the quarterfinal win for Goucher.
“There?s a misconception that Division III players don?t work as hard, but that?s not the case,” said Flamholz, who spent one year at Division I Colgate before transferring to Goucher. “We get up at 6 a.m., just like Division I schools, and are working hard to help put Goucher on the map.”
About 150 fans turned out for the quarterfinal game, with the majority being friends and family of the players. Tuesday?s attendance was about average for the season for Goucher?s men?s lacrosse games, a far cry from the 9,778 on hand to watch Maryland defeat host Johns Hopkins last Saturday at Homewood Field.
Those not in attendance at Tuesday?s Goucher-Mary Washington contest missed out on one of the best bargains in town, as there was no admission charge. Both rosters consist of a number of the same student-athletes that played key roles in helping lead their respective Maryland high schools to county, state and private school championships just a few years earlier.
“There aren?t as many fans out at our games as you would see at the bigger schools, but we still are able to find ways to get ourselves motivated,” Zirrolli said. “As we start winning more and people hear about our program, more fans will come out to see us play.”
Goucher coach Kyle Hannan, himself a former Division III athlete at Salisbury in the 1980s, understands the sacrifices his players make in order to continue to follow their dreams of playing college lacrosse.
“I?ve always felt these are special types of athletes because they don?t get the attention or the accolades Division I athletes get,” Hannan said. “These athletes are really selfless and put in a lot of work to get better; something that?s even more difficult at a school like Goucher, that has extremely tough academic rigors in place.”
Ron Snyder is a free-lance writer from Baltimore.
