Cal-State Long Beach brings fall ball to a close at the Freeway 6-way Fall Lacrosse Tournament at UC Irvine

Photo by Chris Brignola

Cal-State Long Beach wrapped up fall lacrosse last weekend with 4 games in one day at the UC Irvine hosted Freeway 6-way tournament at ARC fields. Long Beach lost 15-3 in their first game of the day to top ranked Concordia-Irvine but then went on to beat UCI 6-5 with an overtime Braveheart goal by team captain Corey Shrimpl. Long Beach also lost to Newport Lacrosse Club 7-3 and defeated Occidental College 8-1.

Corey Schrimpl was a Scholar Athlete recipient last season for 8-3 Long Beach as well as receiving second team all-conference honors. He answered some questions in an interview.

Q: Was there anything personal going into your Braveheart matchup?

A: No, at the time there was nothing personal, but looking back it felt even better to win because that Irvine player (Matthew Marano) received first team all-conference honors last season and I received second team all conference. I've always felt I've worked harder than him and I think it showed on that faceoff.

Corey Shrimpl CSULB (Photo by Andy Meza)

Q: How does this years team compare to last seasons?

A: This team looks more offensively organized and prideful than last years. Last years team relied on our athleticism and this year I think we are gonna let our stickwork and discipline win us games. We are also closer as a team this year, which hopefully will transition into better communication and cohesion.

Q: What are your thoughts on the current state and growth of the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference?

A: The current state of the SLC is strong. The bottom half teams of the league are getting stronger, ourselves and Irvine. The only way it will continue to grow is if we can keep the league expenses down so that teams can expand and more players are willing to join and play the great game.

Corey Shrimpl CSULB (Photo by Rafael Sagura)

Q: Do you plan on staying with the sport of lacrosse after graduating?

A: I plan on playing my whole life. Hopefully continuing to play in grad school and after that in a local men's league. I also have goals of coaching at the high school or college level. Lacrosse isn't going away anytime soon for me.

Q: Are there any memorable players or coaches who have influenced your game?

A: My high school coach had the biggest impact on my game. He taught me to play freely and creatively. Last year, my teammate Tony McElroy had a big impact on me to push myself physically and to focus on the little things during the game that don't show up on the stat sheet.