This season, scoring goals meant more than ever for men’s club lacrosse captain Carter Oakley.

It wasn’t just about winning. These goals meant something — more than a check mark in the win column, more than a chance at the playoffs, more than a great season.

These goals meant helping a friend and a teammate in his battle with cancer.

“It’s made this seem a lot more real. I’ve never seen the amount of devotion for a club sport as I’ve seen (from) these players,” said Oakley, a junior broadcast and digital journalism major. “The amount of time and commitment that they’re putting in is unparalleled. Every kid is willing to come to practice and bust their ass.”

The day before, the team practiced in the rain for two and a half hours. It’s more than lacrosse now, he said.

When Oakley heard that one of his teammates, freshman Jason Handler, had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and would be at home undergoing treatment for the spring semester, he wanted to do something to help.

Oakley and his teammates weren’t sure what they could do, but they bounced ideas off of one another at the end of practice, trying to find the best way to help Handler. The idea for Outscoring Lymphoma came from these conversations.

Outscoring Lymphoma is a drive that asks its participants to pledge to donate a certain amount of money for every goal scored by the team during the season.

“We’re just trying to be scoring as much as possible for the kid,” Oakley said. “At every timeout, at every game, we’re just repeating, ‘This is for Jason. Don’t let up, don’t go easy.’”

As of Monday, the team had scored 83 goals, which is 18 better than last season, Oakley said.

Handler and Oakley weren’t close friends. As a freshman, Handler hadn’t had much time to get to know the other players on the team. But that didn’t matter to Oakley, co-captain Joe Borda said.

“He’s always doing the right thing, but he’s always doing stuff for other people, as well,” he said.

For Oakley, Handler was the defender he just couldn’t beat. Oakley plays on offense and Handler on defense. Handler frustrated him. Despite being two years his senior, Oakley couldn’t get past Handler.

“I still think now, even if I went one-on-one against him, going through chemotherapy, he’d beat me,” Oakley said, laughing.

When the team first came up with the idea for the fundraiser, Oakley reached out to Handler’s mother, Anne.

Anne Handler wasn’t expecting Oakley to reach out to her, she didn’t even know him. The two still haven’t met in person, though they now communicate at least once a week, discussing her son’s progress so Oakley can share it with the team.

“I’ve never met Carter. Even if I never meet him, there is an incredible bond there,” she said. “It’s kind of like the movie ‘Crash’ — in 20 years, I’m going to be sitting on an airplane and he’s going to be my seat mate. It’s just that kind of crazy connection.”

Anne Handler was touched by Oakley’s words about Handler, especially given that the two of them didn’t know each other well. Handler was a freshman, and had only been with the team for one semester.

Oakley checks in with Handler’s family as much as he can — usually at least once or twice a week. The effect Handler’s diagnosis has on the entire family is something Oakley understands. His mother is a cancer survivor.

“To be on the other side of it, to have a family member go through it, it’s unbelievably difficult,” Oakley said.

Oakley’s mother has even reached out to Anne Handler, sending her emails with pictures of herself during and after cancer, showing what Handler can achieve, Anne Handler said.

It didn’t matter to Oakley that Handler wasn’t a close friend, said Borda, Oakley’s co-captain. He was a part of the team, and it’s in Oakley’s nature to help anyone.

Still, Oakley didn’t quite realize what he had gotten himself into.

Oakley got a call from the HEADstrong Foundation, an organization that uses lacrosse to fundraise and support victims of blood cancers, offering help. Outscoring Lymphoma linked with HEADstrong and the club sports office. Then, the project was in full swing, with players reaching out to families and friends to ask for their participation in the pledge drive.

As one of the main organizers of the fundraiser — though he gives credit to the team as a whole — Oakley admits it’s a big time commitment. Balancing classes, practices and keeping on top of the fundraiser can be difficult, Oakley said. But helping Handler comes first.

“I have four years of class,” Oakley said. “This is a small and important part of Jason’s life, his family’s life and the team itself. I’ve devoted a lot of time and effort into this, and I want to see it all the way through.”

Published on April 25, 2013 at 1:03 am

Contact Casey: cffabris@syr.edu | @caseyfabris