JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Nov. 2, 2009 When lacrosse was first played in the 12th century, many Native American cultures used the sport as a war game to resolve conflicts. The game was played by anywhere from 100 to more than 1,000 warriors on a field that could stretch for miles.

In those early times, lacrosse knew no boundaries and took on any challenge - big or small. That sentiment is echoing again with the inaugural season of the men's lacrosse program at Jacksonville University.

JU will face a daunting schedule, starting with the program's first game against nationally ranked North Carolina on Feb. 6. The Dolphins, the first and only Division I men's program in the state of Florida, are also making a visit to nationally ranked Duke while having six home games on the slate, including visits from Denver and Rutgers, with a trip to Atlanta, Ga. to take on Presbyterian.

"Our approach is to set the bar high," said head coach Matt Kerwick. "If we want to continue to recruit the way we have so far, we have to play a top-flight schedule. The competitiveness of Division I lacrosse means that there are no easy games out there and everyone you'll face is really strong."

Kerwick knows a thing or two about success. As the head coach of Hobart, Kerwick led his team to a Patriot League championship in his first year as a coach. Before his coaching career, he boasted an impressive resume as a student-athlete. Playing at Hobart, Kerwick was a four-year letterwinner in men's lacrosse and hockey. He was a member of four NCAA Division III National Championship teams and received first-team all-America honors, including the NCAA Tournament MVP award in 1989. Serving as a captain of both the lacrosse and hockey teams his senior year, Kerwick received the William C. Stiles Award - an honor given to a senior student-athlete for leadership, determination and character.

Now that determination is translating into ambition for the JU program. There are no reservations about putting this program on the map nationally and there is one way to do that - schedule aggressively.

With that mindset, it was natural for Kerwick to roll out his first team against the best in its first game ever - a group of professional all stars and former college standouts.

Fall games tend to merit little mention, but for JU, this was 18 months in the making. For Kerwick, it was the culmination of a year of building - from nothing but an office and a computer, to a roster of more than 50 young men looking to create a legacy.

That legacy began when they walked out to practice for the first time with more than 70 student-athletes trying out. Now, they were taking the next step - walking onto the practice field for the first men's lacrosse game ever to be played on JU's campus.

The Dolphins proved to the lacrosse community that while they may be a new, young team, what they lack in experience they make up for in ability and dedication, narrowly falling to the team of all-stars, 16- 15.

As impressive as the performance was, it was topped by the support from the lacrosse community as more than 300 fans were in attendance.

Ryan Serville led the Dolphin attack with four goals and one assist while Nick Scalzo tallied three goals of his own. Camm Mann found himself making an impact all over the field, picking up a game-high seven ground balls to go along with his one goal and one assist. Defensively, goalie Brendan Nicklason and defenseman Jake Ziegler controlled play inside the box and made it difficult for the impressive all-star attack.

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2009-11-02