After competing with the 2019 men’s lacrosse national champions, the University of Virginia Cavaliers, the Bison have begun to build the confidence needed for the rest of pre-season and league play. The Bison have five seniors this year, four of which were named captains two weeks ago. Grayson Burns ’20, a senior midfielder from Fayetteville, N.Y., is excited about the start his team has had.

“I think for our first test of the season we showed a lot of really positive signs,” Burns said. “We have a lot of young talent and proved to ourselves that we can compete with anyone in the country. We still have things to work on but we are definitely moving in the right direction.”

As these four senior captains enter into their last season for the Orange and Blue, their careers have been nothing short of extraordinary. After going three and five in conference play during their freshman tenure, this group of five led their teams to the Patriot League Championships for two consecutive years. Their overall record leading up to this season in league play is 14-10. After falling short to Boston University last year in the championships, the team is ready to prove themselves this year.

“Last season ending against Boston the way we did really motivated everyone on the team to work hard and refocus over the offseason. It gave us a chip on our shoulder going into this year to prove we are a much better team than our record showed last year and we’re excited to prove that to everyone that this year,” midfielder Matt Fedorjaka ’20 said.

Moving forward, the team’s success will rely on veteran play, while also incorporating the young players into key roles. This balance has led to a crucial part of their game: team chemistry.

“Given that we only have five seniors, we’ve relied a lot on the younger guys to step up and take more of a leadership role this year, which has allowed everyone to have an equal voice on the team. It not only has gone a long way on the field but off the field as well. This team is very tight-knit and we pride ourselves on that,” Burns said.

The Bison will face off against Towson in a scrimmage on Friday, Jan. 24 at home as they prepare for their season opener against Furman on Feb. 1.