This past weekend the men’s lacrosse team fought to keep its season alive, but it was unable to pull out the necessary win. The one-goal loss to Sacred Heart marked the end of the season for the Wildcats and the end of the Villanova careers of 12 graduating seniors.

The expectations for this year’s team were as high as ever coming off last year’s disappointing 5-10 season. First-year Head Coach Michael Corrado led the Wildcats to an improved record of 7-7, including a conference record of 2-4. This record lands the Wildcats in fifth place in the conference, one win shy of qualifying for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.

The season began with a win on the road against Lafayette in nearby Easton, Pa. The team played its first home game against its cross-town rivals, losing to the Quakers of Penn. Following this, the team participated in the Pioneer Face-Off Classic in Denver, Col., losing to Denver and beating Air Force. Over the next six games, ‘Nova alternated wins and losses, including the 15th-straight loss to CAA champion Towson, who remains undefeated by the Wildcats.

The tail end of the season included two one-goal games, both resulting in losses, and two routs. The Wildcats lost by one goal at home against Delaware, before dismantling Lehigh and Robert Morris by eight and 11 goals, respectively. The season concluded with the 15-14 defeat at the hands of the Sacred Heart Pioneers.

Despite not qualifying for the tournament, the season was still one to be proud of. Senior Eric Heidenberger finished the season with a team-high 25 goals. He is also currently in the running for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. CLASS stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, and the award is presented to the outstanding senior NCAA Division I student athlete of the year.

On April 3, senior Chris Colliniates was named CAA player of the week following his game-tying goal and 12-of-20 faceoff opportunities. The goal was part of a 6-0 run that brought the Wildcats from four goals down to defeat Hofstra. The faceoffs helped Colliniates secure roughly a 63 percent faceoff rate, ranked fifth nationally.