Current and former Gustavus students from around the country will gather in Hollingsworth Field on Saturday to watch the Gustavus Football team take on Pacific Lutheran University in the annual Homecoming game.
The matchup is sure to prove vital as Gustavus attempts to gain momentum heading into the second half of the season. For last season’s matchup between the two teams, the Gusties traveled to Washington to face the Lutes and emerged victorious with a 24-14 win.
We haven’t heard too much about [their team this year],” Junior wideout Cody Sukalski said. “In years past they’ve been a tough team, so this should be a competitive game.”
Sophomore wide receiver Elliott Herdina looks for the team to bounce back after disappointing losses to St. John’s and St. Thomas over the past two weekends.
“It’s tough to keep the mindset right after our previous two losses, but we are hungry for a win,” Herdina said. “We are going to use our previous games this year as fuel for the fire and hopefully send our fans home happy.”
“We just played some of the hardest games in our Conference these past weeks, and we are ready for another good game,” Junior linebacker Zack Lundquist said. “We have the opportunity to prove that we are better than our record shows, and we owe our fans a win at home.”
With the student interest built up and alumni returning in droves, there is sure to be a large crowd at Saturday’s game, but Sukalski stressed that the team won’t change its approach just because it’s Homecoming.
“It’s nice that Homecoming draws more fans, and sure there’s more people [at the game], but we just treat it as a normal game,” Sukalski said.
The Gusties have had a difficult time this season putting together a solid offensive and defensive effort in the same game. Last weekend against St. Thomas, the offense put up a respectable 156 passing yards and 92 rushing yards. The Gustavus defense, however, let the Tommies run wild for 272 yards on the ground.
“We need to clear our minds and come into Saturday with confidence and play with excitement,” Herdina said. “Both of those should lead to a complete game by both the offense and defense.”
The Gusties have not won a Homecoming game since 2005, but this year’s squad is looking to change that.
This game is a big turning point in our season, and it could show what is to come the rest of the year,” Sukalski said.
If the Gusties can get their first home victory of the year in front of what will surely be the largest home crowd of the year, it could build the team’s momentum heading into key games that may decide the team’s playoff fate.
“Any Saturday in the MIAC is a tough game,” Herdina said. “If a couple of teams can help us out and we do our job, the end of the season could get real interesting.”
Lundquist said the Gusties are looking forward to the Homecoming experience and the increased crowd size should fire up the team.
“There should be a lot of people there, [which] makes the game much more fun for the players,” Lundquist said. “The Homecoming Week adds more excitement for the players, and will help us play harder this weekend.”