Moorpark College is known not only for the academic excellence provided at the collegiate level but also for the abundance of sports that students can play.
While traditional sports such as football, basketball, baseball and volleyball can be found at Moorpark College, one sport, in particular, has proved to be up-and-coming throughout the college campus. That sport is lacrosse.
Men’s lacrosse was established in 2022 and is currently considered a club on campus. However, the athletic excellence that the team exhibits is not considered any less than the traditional sports that have been present on campus longer.
The program is only two years old and hopes to establish itself further as the group continues to grow and expand on the campus. Ventura College and Oxnard College do not have lacrosse teams, making Moorpark College the lone-standing lacrosse program in the Ventura County Community College District.
Founded by Moorpark College students George Li and Noam Michael, the lacrosse team is looking to turn heads as the group becomes more prominent and connected. Michael, who also serves as the club’s vice president and co-founder, spoke about the backstory and establishment of this sports team.
“Personally, I didn’t like how I ended my high school [lacrosse] career, so we were going to Moorpark and were thinking, ‘What about us?’” Michael spoke. “As far as last year, our on-campus presence wasn’t as much, but now we know what we’re doing, we have everything set up and that’s been really great.”
Being a student-run club, while still following the same rules as any other athletic program on campus, proved challenging when further developing this program. However, Michael said the sport’s growing interest has been an advantage for the club.
“It has been really great being able to bring people in, and we have seen a lot of interest from high schoolers,” Michael spoke. “It shows that this club has potential for the long term, and it’s not just a coincidence. There’s a need and there’s a want for this program.”
Antonio Cucciuffo serves as the lacrosse team’s head coach. Cucciuffo played Division 1 lacrosse at the University of Pittsburgh and joined the program to establish a campus presence further. As the manager of the two-year-old team, Cucciuffo spoke about the challenges of coaching a young program.
“There’s a lot of hoops that we had to jump through that a lot of programs that have been established have been able to just coast through,” Cucciuffo said. “Our students have to put in a lot of work trying to see what we can and can’t do. We have to go through some hoops that are a part of athletics, and some hoops where we are a part of a club.”
The lacrosse team is currently only designated as a club, with a page missing from the Moorpark Athletics website. Michael spoke about the unique hurdles that the lacrosse team has to overcome.
“We are essentially putting on an event that involves two teams, referees and everyone else involved in that. So logistically and financially, it is a sport,” Michael spoke. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t have that designation but we are looking forward to getting that designation in the future.”
Li, the president and co-founder of the lacrosse program, has played with Michael for many years. Starting this club was an idea by both of them in 2022, and it has continued to grow into the 2023 season, which will begin in the spring.
Li spoke about the club’s goals for the future and hopes the club can have what it deserves.
“I want to be able to come back in a couple of years and have this team still be on campus, as well as competing in MCAL D2,” Li spoke. “We’re in D3 currently and there is no national championship, so hopefully we can become good enough to travel and play in a championship.”
As the president of the program, Li also has to focus on the season ahead of himself and his team to ensure that long-term goals can be achieved.
“This season, I want us to win, more specifically against the teams we lost to last year,” Li explained. “I want us to keep building this program, the most rewarding thing is to see the guys have fun while also winning games.”
Head Coach Cucciuffo, President Li and Vice President Michael want Moorpark College students to know that the lacrosse program is all-inclusive and will take any student who wants to play lacrosse as long as they are committed.
For more information about the men’s lacrosse program, click here for their website, and any Moorpark College students interested in joining the program can click the recruitment link here.
