The stench of old jerseys and sweaty lacrosse gear filled the air as the booming voice of Gabriel Sabillo rang out across the dimly lit field. The young men jogged over to their teammate-turned-coach and huddled around him as they awaited instruction. There, the self-made team stood on a lightless field with only one lacrosse goal in sight.
This is the first year City College men’s lacrosse club has come just steps away from becoming an official team within City College after four years since it was originally created and the process was not easy according to Sabillo.
“We were all hype but we also knew that we couldn’t have any hiccups,” 20-year-old coach Sabiilo said as he described the exact moment he found out the team became official in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association within the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference.
To be a part of the MLCA SLC, aspiring teams must rest their case to a board of head coaches.
There have been attempts in the past to be accepted into the conference but none were successful up until last year.
Sabillo played with the team last year as their goalkeeper but found his passion laid in teaching others.
“My parents always taught me to give back and lacrosse was a perfect opportunity to,” the young coach said. “I want to make an impact on people’s lives.”
This team is made up of multi-tasking students who balance school, work, lacrosse and other extracurriculars while also paying a fee of $1,075 to be on the team and be able to compete against other schools.
19-year-old Roth Gulseth is an example of a player who is learning to find balance within his day-to-day life. Gulseth has a job and also plays volleyball for City College as he takes in the newness of lacrosse as it is his first year playing.
“Since I’ve been playing volleyball my whole life, a lot of the time it comes as my first priority, but lacrosse is definitely a refreshing thing that keeps me from getting overwhelmed with volleyball,” the occupied player said. “It gives me the opportunity to have fun while also taking the sport seriously when I need to.”
Dedicated is how Gulseth was described by teammates and is a word that was used heavily when discussing the group as a whole.
Because they are a club, the team is not advertised at all according to 19-year-old captain, offensive coordinator, midfielder and face-off specialist Marshall Spurlock. It was not until last season the club got listed onto the City College website.
Before Spurlock played for this team he was playing at Whittier after being recruited in high school. He noticed the huge contrast between playing at a private college versus playing for a junior college.
“Out there everything is handed to you, your gear, the fields are reserved, the weight room is reserved, we have access to a pool, a trainer, a lifting coach and then you come here and we’re paying for everything out of our own pockets,” the team captain said.
Although the lack of funding and support from the school may bring them down, the players see this as what makes their team stand out from the rest.
“We’re climbing a jagged mountain, but we’re going up and I think that our team is the definition of grit,” Spurlock said. “We’re a bunch of guys out there because we love the sport, doing everything we can to make it happen.”
The team practices three times a week and some players feel like they could be doing more to prepare for the upcoming season.
As of right now it is their off season but the team has already competed against other teams and taken home a win against Moorpark College. Many of the players explained how they felt other teams underestimated them due to their young coach and their club team status.
“I hope they do, I love an underdog story,” the dedicated coach said as he explained the message he hopes to send to competing teams.
20-year-old Goalie Andrew Roloff wanted to leave his competitors with one last sentiment and reassurance he has their back.
“The reason I wear the number zero is because zero shots are coming in this goal, we’re getting that ring,” Roloff said.
