It’s their motto; it’s what separates the men from the boys; it’s what makes a team . a Team; it’s what the Men’s Lacrosse team teaches Guilford as they walk around campus with their gray shirts reading, “All You Got!” After a tough 2006 season, the Guilford Men’s Lacrosse team returns to the field on Feb. 24 to take on 2007 with zest, power, and a new frame of mind.

“I think we could win a lot of games,” said first-year midfielder Josh Osbourne. “I think if we play together we can beat anybody (and) play with anyone.”

The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) is very competitive consisting of top-20 teams such as Roanoke, Washington and Lee, and Lynchburg. Last year the team ended their season with a record of 4-10, but their hopes are not dampened.

According to first-year goalie Matt Brewster, everyone has his own personal goal but “the team should make a name for ourselves both on campus and within our conference.”

“I feel that this is the most cohesive team that we’ve had in my 4 years here,” wrote head coach Andrew Rowe, via E-mail. “It has gone a long way to build a trust among our team that the guys know that their teammates are looking out for them and will be there when they need them the most.”

Lacrosse was created by American Indians years before the French adopted it in the 1600s. It is a sport of courage, strength, solidarity, unity, and spirit. It was used to prepare young Indians for combat, to settle disputes between tribes, and to gain spiritual growth.

“Lacrosse definitely becomes a part of you just like everything else,” said Brewster. “You put something into it and there’s got to be something there whether it’s spiritual or not.”

“The power of the game is sacred as it demands the purity of mind, body and spirit,” reads the Onondaga RedHawks Web site. The Onondaga created a Lacrosse program that is intended to teach and apply the ideals held by the Onondaga tribe.

The Onondaga believe: “The passion that encompasses and defines the male spirit is inherent and indivisible to the game, as the creator had originally intended, and played with the disciplines of dignity and honor.”

Sophomore spectator and former member of the team Matthew Elverson described the squad as having “great team unity and unstoppable spirit.”

Coach Rowe wrote, “From the first day of school in August, the guys have worked out and trained together, they are close both on and off the field. It has gone a long way to build a trust among our team.”

It is not just about winning; it is about building and entertaining the community. “We care about so much more than just our sport,” said senior captain Carl Simon. “This is our community; the social and academic side of Guilford matter tremendously to us.”

If you want to join the men as they give it all they got, the Guilford Quakers will take on the York Spartans at home on Feb. 24 at 1 p.m.