On Saturday night, the men`s lacrosse team opened its season with an 8–5 loss against the McMaster Marauders. Despite National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer AJ Masson’s two-goal support, the Blues did not manage to start the season off with a win.

Masson was all over the field Saturday night. Even when he wasn’t getting scoring chances, the University of Vermont transfer was mixing it up with the Marauders’ defenders and barking at referees for blown calls. His presence on the field exuded the confidence that one would expect from a player who notched 35 goals during his four-year career in the NCAA Division One program.

Midfielder Patrick Belisle.

Even with Masson’s strong play, victory was never a doubt for McMaster. The Marauders managed to score three goals in the first 10 minutes, and went on to maintain at least a two-goal lead throughout the entire game. Most notably, after the Blues cut the lead to 4–1 during the first quarter, the Marauders immediately marched up the field and scored — regaining the three-goal lead. That moment proved that the Marauders could almost score at will against U of T.

The Blues’ goalie, Lowell Hunt, appeared to be overmatched at times. After the Marauders scored again, bringing the game to a 6–2 lead on a wrist shot from 15 feet away, Hunt shrugged his shoulders and looked around to his fellow teammates, as if to say: “I did not see that one coming.”

The goalie’s struggles were matched by the team’s overall listlessness. As if blending into the dreary Saturday evening weather, the team appeared to lack the energy and enthusiasm to compete with the Marauders.

The Blues’ head coach, Joe Nizich, could be heard throughout the game — barking at his players to get after the ball faster. Blues players were waddling over to balls behind the net at times, as if to catch their breath, whereas the Marauders continued to chase every ball — regardless of how out of reach they appeared to be.

Fifth-year midfielder Marc Anthony Koukoulas.

The Blues appeared to ramp up their level of effort in the fourth quarter with a late rally, scoring two goals within four minutes of each other. However, it was too little too late — with the game already out of reach by that time. This lack of energy will be cause for concern for the team in the future.

The Blues take on the Guelph Gryphons on Friday in Guelph.