By Alana Pelosi

I have not heard a coach say one game matters more than another, and I have yet to hear a coach say that rankings matter. What I have heard from nearly every single coach is that he or she ‘is going to take it one game at a time,’ and that ‘rankings mean nothing.’

Fair enough. No matter what a team’s record shows, each game starts off as a clean slate. The Davids do indeed beat the Goliaths and, as brutal an analogy as this may be, George Mason even made it to the Final Four. However, as easy as it is for a coach to say that he or she is getting ready for the next game and not worried about their opponent, that is not always the case. There are also the nerves of the entire team to take into a consideration and if there is a losing streak going, that’s a tough thing to snap.

However, if there is a team at Hofstra University that best demonstrates the “one-game-at-a-time” psyche, it’s the men’s lacrosse team.

Oh, wait. Allow me to correct myself — the 6th ranked men’s lacrosse team. In their first four games, they faced four nationally ranked opponents. Now there is no doubt that Hofstra is up to the caliber of ranked teams, but when you play teams that have been synonymous for decades with lacrosse greatness, it is within reason to be intimidated. However, if Coach Seth Tierney’s men are, they do not show it.

“We needed to take care of ourselves this. Win, lose or draw, we needed to take care off ourselves,” Tierney said after the victory over Princeton.

Against Princeton the Pride had total control. Even from the stands, their confidence was visible, and they looked relaxed not in a way that was lackadaisical, but in a way that you could tell they were well-prepared and knew what they were doing.

While I do not believe that other teams prepare any less, I do not know if they have the same mindset. The lacrosse team, better than any other, takes each game at a time and at 3-1, their record is indicative of what it should be.

Why more people do not come out and support team is what really surprises me. I have anyways been under the impression that if the Pride were to ever win a team national championship, it would be men’s lacrosse. Against Princeton, there was a respectable turnout, but why more fans don’t show up is almost mind-boggling. Hofstra may not be USC, but if you want to see sports play at the premier collegiate level, this is your chance. Against Princeton, it wasn’t like you were not watching Hofstra try to beat one of the most storied lacrosse programs, rather as though you watching professionals doing there job.

Soon enough the Pride will face Army and UNC, both of whom have top-20 rankings and both of whom I believe the Pride will still beat. With the lacrosse team, they do take it one game at a time and they do take care of themselves. They have prepared themselves to a whole other level, and if they keep it up, they will have a very successful season.