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“We design our play on a team system. Our focus is to perform well as a team,” said Salem State Viking’s head lacrosse coach and alumni Trevor Eaton in a recent Salem State Radio interview.

Eaton, who played at Salem State from 1999-2000 for head coach Jim Logan, was tabbed as the program’s new coach when lacrosse regained varsity status in 2008.

Salem State has steadily improved each year under Eaton’s tutelage, culminating in a team-best nine wins this year, while earning playoff spot for the second straight year in the extremely competitive Little East conference.

While the individual stats will not blow the casual fan away, the team speaks on results. Eaton’s squads have posted only one losing season in the past four years.

This season’s team has posted top stats in areas that define a well-disciplined team. Penalty-killing is the specialty of the crew. Eaton’s defenders hold the best penalty kill ratio in the Little East Conference. They are also in the top three for the categories of least amount of penalty minutes per game and fewest turnovers per game.

A solid defense is only as good as the goalkeeper behind it. Little East goalkeeper-of-the-year Brendan Gill is the best in the business. Gill is the owner of the highest goals against average and save percentage among goaltenders with a minimum of 12 starts. The rock solid effort of Gill allows the rest of the team to focus on their responsibilities. The thought of one mistake materializing into a goal does not way heavy on the minds of the athletes when Gill is between the pipes.

Coach Eaton knows what it takes for a lacrosse team to succeed. He undertook his journey through the world of lacrosse leadership at Salem State. Eaton was selected as captain three times as a student-athlete of Salem State. He was also named the team MVP. It was obvious to both the players and the coaches that Eaton had a knack for being a team-leader. After graduation from Salem State College Eaton was hired as the head coach for Swampscott High School. The team qualified for their first state tournament entry under his tutelage.

In 2005, Salem State came calling to return their captain to the school. In Eaton’s absence the team lost its varsity status. By 2008, Eaton put the team back on the collegiate map. Salem State lacrosse captured back-to-back Pioneer Club League Championships. Success has carried over to the stiff Little East Conference competition. The tournament was the goal the team’s inaugural 2009 season in the conference. The goal was met and has carried over into the 2010 season with yet another post-season berth.

Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in North America. According to a US lacrosse study performed in 2009, lacrosse membership has grown by almost six hundred-percent since 1998. The Viking’s have seen a similar growth in those years. Coach Eaton has cited the increase of tryout turnout and attendance figures as pieces of evidence.

Salem State is in position to capitalize on this growing sport. A strong sports club is beneficial to the health of its student body. With many distractions in this technological age, even die hard Boston Red Sox fans find it difficult to be involved with a losing team. A successful team can only stand to unite the students under the cause of seeing their peers perform well together. Team first is what Eaton preaches. Team first is what his athlete’s deliver. 


The following article was submitted by Salem State junior Brian Davidson '11, who is majoring in Communications.