In his fourth and final year on the KO boys varsity lacrosse team, senior midfielder Sam Krugman has started his senior season off with a bang. Scoring 21 goals in the team’s last six games, Krugman has made an indelible impact on the team thus far.
Krugman’s lacrosse career began in his third grade year, where he began to play, then promptly quit. However, KO’s sports requirement led him to pick up the sport again in his Upper Prep year, and he has played for KO ever since – on the varsity team since his freshman year. Over his eight years of playing, Krugman has consistently played midfield, the position he continues to play for the team today.
While the team had a slow start to the season, Krugman has seen signs of the team coming together cohesively, especially in the team’s close loss against Cheshire Academy.
Not only strong on the field, Krugman has worked to prove himself as a leader off the field as well. “I hope to serve as a good example of how to play to the younger guys, as when this senior class were freshmen we didn’t have many seniors on the team to learn from,” Krugman explained.
In addition to this being his senior season, the season is especially important to Krugman. Following a tear of his ACL, medial meniscus and lateral meniscus in the first quarter of the first game last season, Krugman was forced to not only miss his junior lacrosse season but also his senior football season. “[Lacrosse] is the first sport I’ve played in a long time, and the last one I will probably ever play as I’m graduating this year,” he said.
Krugman contributes much of his success thus far to his training in the off-season, as well as placing trust in his teammates to make the right choices. This off-season training has clearly paid off, and his skill within the game is appreciated by those same teammates he says he makes a point to trust. “Krugman’s speed, quick shots and finishing ability make him a very entertaining player to watch on the field,” teammate and fellow senior defender Garrett Gallup said. Senior defender Co-captain Pat Schwab echoed Gallups sentiment. “Sam’s leadership has been really important, and coupled with him being the leading goalscorer, this year he has made an impact on the team,” he said. Senior attacker Teddy Crowther concurred, “Krugman has really hit his stride this season and is a really important part of this team,” Teddy said. “He’s an insanely hard worker and kickstarts our offense with his dodging ability.”
With seven more games remaining in the season for Krugman and the team, many opportunities remain for Krugman to continue his success and to revel in his last season on the lacrosse team and at KO as a whole. “With a large senior presence on the team, I want to just enjoy my last season of lacrosse with some of my closest friends,” he said.
