For the first time in the College of DuPage athletic program’s history, the College of DuPage men’s lacrosse took the field on Monday against nine-time national champions Herkimer College. With the help of sophomore midfielder Josh Kubicki’s seven goals contribution and the team’s eight total assists performance, the Chaparrals defeated the HCCC Generals 17-10 to start this season with a win.

Herkimer County Community College traveled to Glen Ellyn from upstate New York to compete against the Midwest’s first community college lacrosse program. The Generals will be the only junior college competition hosted by the Chaparrals this season. The Chaparrals’ remaining schedule consists of four-year institutions and a handful of community colleges that will be hosting the remaining meetings. Men’s lacrosse head coach Bill Sanford looks forward to the rest of the season and was proud of the team’s display of confidence.

“It wasn’t always pretty, but we got it done, and I’m really proud of the boys. There was a lot of inconsistency, but we made enough important plays,” said Sanford. “We had a successful week of preparation and good film breakdowns. The boys really listened to what we were trying to do, and we need to continue to do that.”

The Chaparrals initiated the game strongly, netting three goals within seven minutes. Kubicki, particularly instrumental, scored two of these goals and concluded the game with seven goals and two assists.

“It was our first official counted game, so we went into it super fired up,” said Kubicki. “[Herkimer] came down from New York where they have a lot of good lax [players], so we were nervous, but we handled business in the end.”

Despite HCCC’s response to make the score 3-1, COD continued to dominate, ending the first half with a 9-5 lead. Besides Kubicki, contributions came from Lucas Calcagno, Henry McEachen, Finn Riordan, Ryan Thompson and Michael Saccomano. 

Freshman attacker Saccomano finished the game with a three-goal hat trick and an assist. After the game, he expressed how the team’s preparation during the offseason was a byproduct of their success against Herkimer.

“It was a great game with lots of energy,” Saccomano said. “We’ve been waiting for this since we committed to playing here. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied [with my performance], but I could’ve worked harder on our clear and ride.”

Freshman Brennen Walker led the team with four ground balls and finished the game with an assist.

“This just feels amazing,” said Walker. “This is our first win and official game of the season. This sets us up for a great start for the future and our confidence all around. Just seeing the points rack up and knowing that we were going to take the [win] was great.”

In the third quarter, both teams traded goals, with the Chaparrals maintaining a competitive edge. Despite allowing the Generals to score two goals in under three minutes, the Chaparrals answered with three consecutive goals, consisting of a pair from Kubicki and a goal from freshman attacker Drew Loritz to close out the third quarter. 

COD put the game away in the fourth quarter after going on a 5-2 scoring run to send Herkimer back to New York with a loss and earn themselves a 17-10 season-opener win. The Chaps’ record is currently 1-0 and is set to play against CCBC-Essex at 6 p.m. on Mar. 26 in Baltimore, MD.