Lehigh University Athletics
Wray and the Wings hit midway point of season
2/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Philadelphia Wings, featuring Lehigh assistant coach Taylor Wray, recently hit the midway point of their National Lacrosse League schedule as they downed the Minnesota Swarm 13-12 at the Wachovia Center on February 21. That win snapped a two-game losing skid for the Wings and sends them into the final eight games of the regular season on a high note. Wray offered his thoughts on how the season has gone up to this point. “It’s been a very up and down season. We’ve had some poor performances and we’ve had glimpses of greatness, but we’ve either been unable to put things together for extended periods of time or we’ve failed to have our defense and offense play well on the same night.”
Wray and the Wings recorded their biggest win of the season on February 6 when they downed the then-undefeated Buffalo Bandits 13-11 in Philadelphia. Wray finished with one goal and an assist in that game, along with three loose balls. “I thought that was a high point for us, but we followed it up with a dismal performance against New York and then struggled to put things together at both ends against Boston,” Wray explained.
The Wings rebounded however with their latest win over Minnesota as they held off a late rally by the Swarm. Wray finished with one assist and a pair of loose balls, raising his season totals to two goals, five assists, seven points and 29 loose balls. “That win against a tough and desperate Minnesota team was absolutely huge for us,” Wray commented. “Although I still don’t think we played as well as we can, it was a solid win and having (reigning league MVP) Alan Iannucci back in the lineup certainly gave us a lot more punch on the offensive end. I think last week’s game is going to serve as a springboard into the second half of the season and we’re going to build great momentum on the road this weekend.”
Wray and his Wings’ teammates face a tall order this weekend, as they hit the road for a pair of games, first at Edmonton on Friday and then to Portland on Saturday evening. “We have an enormous challenge this weekend with the games at Edmonton and Portland. It has the potential to really get us back in the fold and bring our record up to .500 with six games remaining in the regular season.”
He continued, “One of the great things about the NLL is that there is so much parity between the teams that records do not necessarily reflect the potential of a team and the team that shows up ready to play can win on any given night. We need to be the team that shows up both nights this weekend and continue building momentum as we head down the stretch.”
