As the DVC lacrosse program rolls into its eighth season, former assistant coach and founding member Mathias Ritter-Armstrong was confirmed as the new head coach of the team earlier this year following the departure of 2017 head coach Taylor Cook.

An article published in April 2018 by program adviser Terry Armstrong said that athletic department had selected coach Ritter-Armstrong to lead the team on the field. The article cites DVC athletic director Christine Worsley, who says Ritter-Armstrong “will continue the strong ideals the program has encompassed.”

Cook, a former Navy lacrosse player and assistant coach at Sonoma State, had to leave the program after one season due to personal engagements. Unlike past seasons in which new coaches were chosen by team officials and the club adviser, the athletic department took over the administrative function at the end of the 2016 season. The action resulted in the program becoming a school activity instead of staying a self-funded club

Armstrong said in an interview, “we paid coaches out of club dues, so (the players) were paying for it, part of the advantage of (the athletic department) taking (the hiring process) over is that they were going to pay for the coaches, and for the head coach.”

In an email sent by former club president and alumni Jared Malin, he says the impact of the change was not beneficial for the players.

“This switch would not bring any real benefit to the team as players still had similar dues and still were not permitted to access sports med. We paid our own sports med for games while I played at DVC (in 2014).”

Coach Mathias Ritter-Armstrong did not respond to an interview request.

The team’s first official game was at DVC on Sept. 15th against Sierra Nevada College. Despite leading throughout the first three quarters, the Vikings lost by one point in the final minute of the game.

The teams next match is against Simon Fraser, taking place on Oct. 6 at DVC.