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Hood College men's lacrosse head coach Curt Foxx liked most of what he saw Monday afternoon in supervising the team's full-field scrimmage from the face-off circle.

He's enamored with the school's new state-of-the-art athletic facility and is thankful to finally have a full complement of talent at his disposal. And though he wasn't overly pleased with his players' performance during the practice session, Foxx is thrilled of how far they've brought the program this season.

"I want to give all the credit to the players because there has been great leadership," Foxx said, "And that's from freshman to seniors. The kids have really bonded and they take care of each other."

The Blazers will carry a 4-3 record into their St. Patrick's Day meeting with Randolph College in Lynchburg, Va., which occurred after The Gazette's print deadlines. It's a respectable mark for any athletic outfit, but is particularly remarkable for Hood, which in five previous seasons had only tallied one victory.

Established in 2005, the program was handicapped by inadequate facilities and a severe lack of manpower. Until the institution opened its synthetic turf field and locker room complex last fall, the lacrosse team didn't have a full sized field to practice on or adequate place to store their equipment. Often the Blazers were lacking the minimum of 20 players it requires to field a proper scrimmage.

Now, thanks largely to competitive amenities, Foxx and his staff have begun to attract recruits from all over the nation. Hood's roster encompasses 40 players from 10 different states, including Michigan, Kansas and Nevada.

"The coaches have done a phenomenal job and the players have done a phenomenal job with saying we want to make a change," Foxx said.

Finally on a even playing field with the rest of NCAA Division III lacrosse, the Blazers have begun to prosper. After an 0-2 start, Hood defeated Shenandoah (Va.) 12-6 in a home debut on Feb. 27. A 20-0 waxing of Penn State-Abington came on March 3 and was followed by a 13-12 overtime victory against Washington and Jefferson (Va.) three days later. The Blazers fell, 13-12 against Neumann University (Pa.) but once again climbed above .500 with a 12-3 smothering of Cazenovia College (N.Y.) last Friday.

""We have a lot more people on the team which helps," sophomore midfielder and South Carroll alumnus Ryan Pretko said. "We got a couple of wins and just kept on rolling. The enthusiasm got higher and we just started playing better as a team."

Hood has discovered the formula of winning lacrosse. The Blazers have won the ground ball battle 336-260, while out shooting opponents 259-203. Fifty-three of their 82 goals have been assisted. Hood has made a habit of starting strong, outscoring its adversaries 23-9 during the first quarter.

Four Blazers have already produced double-digit points. Only five did last year. Junior attack Dominique Shorter leads the team with 21 points (12 goals and nine assists).

Fortified by Walkersville graduate Will Lane, the Blazers' goaltending has vastly improved. Lane, a freshman, is 3-1 with a 7.23 goals against average. His 257 minutes in the cage is a team-high. He's also helped Hood connect on 77 percent of its clears.

Morale has never been higher at Hood. Winning has bred confidence and has thus led to more success.

"We have a lot more people on the team which helps," Pretko said. "We got a couple of wins and just kept on rolling. The enthusiasm got higher and we just started playing better as a team."

The community is also beginning to notice. Games are free to the public and have become standing room-only affairs. More bleachers will soon be installed.

Approximately halfway through the 2010 campaign, the Blazers will face their stiffest competition down the stretch. Hood is a member of the Capital Athletic Conference, arguably Division III's toughest league. The nation's second ranked team, Stevenson University of Baltimore County, will come to campus on March 31, while a visit to eight-time national champion Salisbury, currently ranked No. 3, awaits on April 10.