Reid Habas reflects on a dominant season for men’s club lacrosse

The UC Santa Barbara men’s club lacrosse team showcased dominance all season long, finishing at the top of their conference with a 11-3 overall record, and a 6-0 division record, capturing the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League Division I championship in April.

Reid Habas, a second-year economics and accounting major, was eager to join the UCSB men’s club lacrosse team. 

“I really just enjoy playing the sport,” Habas said. “It was also a great place to meet new people and make friends.”

Habas remembers the team’s victories over San Diego State University and Chapman University as major season highlights.

“None of the current seniors had ever beaten either of those teams during their time at UCSB,” Habas noted.

His favorite moment of the season was a rain-soaked overtime win against Simon Fraser University, in which Habas scored the decisive winning goal. 

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, where Habas believes lacrosse is deeply ingrained in the local culture, Habas grew up in a family deeply rooted in the sport. 

“I started playing lacrosse because my family, my mom, grandpa and aunt all played college lacrosse at Johns Hopkins [University],” he explained.

Because of the physicality of men’s lacrosse, protective gear is required. For Habas, pre-game preparation also means working on his hand-eye coordination, including through “stick tricks” which involve “balancing the ball on the side of the stick.” 

Beyond the action on the field, Habas cherished the time spent traveling with his teammates across California.

“My favorite memory from the season was the drives in the vans to away games in San Francisco and San Diego,” he said. 

Involved in many extracurricular activities at UCSB, Habas balances his time between the Sigma Pi fraternity and the club lacrosse team. 

“It was honestly super nice to have two places to make friends as a freshman and help make the transition to college much easier,” he said. 

The hard-fought, close games Habas played this past season left a lasting impact both on and off the field. 

“Those close games really helped me to learn to be resilient and continue fighting until the end,” he said. 

The team’s resilient performance even earned them national attention. “We had a lot of very close and challenging games this year; we were even called the “cockroaches” of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association,” Habas added. 

Having joined the team as a freshman, Habas’ journey as a Gaucho will continue. 

“UCSB men’s club lax is such a great and supportive team with amazing coaches who truly care about the players,” he said. “I did not expect such a well-run team coming into playing club lacrosse, and I was super impressed with how great this team is.”