Nearing the end ofof high school, Matthew Pham had the opportunity to play varsity lacrosse at… Nearing the end of high school, Matthew Pham had the opportunity to play varsity lacrosse at other schools. But when he decided to attend Pitt for its science program, he was looking for another way to continue the sport he’d played since 10th grade.

“I saw they had a club team and they seemed to play a lot of quality teams,” Pham said. “They had a pretty impressive record, so I tried out when I got here.”

Now, as a junior midfield captain and team vice president, he’s leading the Panthers into a new season.

Pham’s teammate Jordan Frank, who has played lacrosse since the seventh grade, said the team is just starting Fall Ball.

Pitt’s team is a member of the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association Conference, part of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association, which is a league for lacrosse teams across the country. The Panthers are considered a Division I club lacrosse team because of the size of the university.

In the spring, Pitt will play anywhere from 13 to 16 games against schools both within and outside of the division. This season, Frank said the Panthers will travel to Florida to play the University of Central Florida in the spring.

Frank said the Panthers have several goals this season, such as returning to the playoffs.

“We always want to make it to playoffs,” Frank said. “That’s always a goal in the season. It’s challenging because there are a lot of good teams and only two teams are going to go to playoffs from our division.”

There’s also ann MCLA champion championship, Frank said, which is the Panthers’ ultimate goal.

“Whether that can feasibly happen within the next year or not remains to be seen,” he said. “Right now, I’d say we have our eyes on making playoffs and competing with Michigan, who is usually the top team in our league.”

Pham said that the last few years that Pitt went to the playoffs, they’ve been knocked out early. This year, the team wants to get a couple of playoff wins. The Panthers also want to advance to the Top 25 and remain there, he said.

Frank said that the team is also focused on continuing to build camaraderie among the players.

“We really think that will make us better,” he said. “We’re doing things on and off the field. We want to create that team dynamic that you see at the Division I level at other schools. Hopefully, that will translate to competing with Michigan.”

Frank said the opportunity to build friendships through lacrosse is one of the reasons he sought out the club team when he arrived on campus. The team offered opportunities not only on the field, but socially as well, he said.

“I assumed the guys on the team would have the same personality as me,” Frank said. “I’m really good friends now with all the guys on the team. They’re some of my closest friends.”

The team hired a new coaching staff last season. Now that everyone is better acquainted, it doesn’t just feel like a club anymore.

“Everyone has become really close,” Pham said. “Its just good bonding. It feels like a good team.”

The Panthers pay for their own coaches, one of the major differences between club and varsity sports.

Club lacrosse isn’t paid for by the University, Frank said, and the Panthers pay dues and fundraise. Dues usually amount to between $700 and $800 per year.

Another main difference is that, in varsity sports, everything is scheduled. The club lacrosse team members coordinate everything themselves.

“We get our own practice times, our own coaches and plan off-the-field events,” Pham said. “But you see the progress, and everything is worth it.”

Pitt’s head coach is Sean Buzzard, who was previously the head coach at North Hills and an assistant at Carnegie Mellon University. He made the jump to coaching for Pitt last year and handles much of the administrative activity. He’s also a certified personal trainer.

Sean O’Brien, an assistant coach, was a three-time All-American attackman at Denison University. He was an assistant coach at Denison for one year after graduation.

The other assistant coach is Alex Perry, who has been involved with lacrosse as a player, a coach and an official. Perry attended the University of Oklahoma, where he founded the lacrosse program and served as the captain and president for three years.

The team practices once or twice a week, usually on Wednesday nights from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and Thursdays from 9 to 10:30 p.m. As a club team, the group gets last dibs on field times, hence why it practices late at night.. O’Brien said the practice schedule highlights another key difference between varsity and club sports.

“Varsity athletes see each other every day,” O’Brien said. “It’s our job as coaches to bring the team together, to make this a good experience instead of just horsing around.”

Frank said club sports still require a great amount of dedication.

“We have chalk talks, where we meet in the classroom,” Frank said. “We do stick work, we runoutside. Sometimes we go up to the field on weekends as well. We’re not really limited to two practices a week.”

Pitt will play two more scrimmages, one against Penn State on Oct. 23 and another against Slippery Rock on Oct. 30. Both matches will take place at the Cost Sports Center and are free to the public.