As the men’s lacrosse season gets underway, one senior displays leadership and passion for his team that can’t be matched.

“As a leader of this team, I feel the guys look up to me, so I want to make sure that as an individual, I do things the right way,” senior Graham Horvath said.

Horvath said he looks to solidify his role as a leader and his team’s place in the conference playoffs.

Born in Essex Falls, N.J., Horvath transferred toUVM from HofstraUniversity after his sophomore year.

Horvath said he saw limited field action at Hofstra and decided it was best for his career to transfer to UVM.

“I’m a very outdoorsy person so naturally I felt Vermont would be a great fit,” he said.

“Everyone here is welcoming and nice, so that made it a bit easier,” Horvath said.

His first year in the green and gold, Horvath quickly became one of the team’s best attackman and most prolific scorers.

“Graham’s impact is felt everyday at practice and during games,” captain junior Andrew Buckanavage said. “He is consistently our best shooter.”

Horvath started in all 14 games last season. He is currently the second leading scorer on the team, having earned 31 goals thus far. Horvath is also one of the leading point earners tallying 34 total.

Yet, he said he is determined to surpass these marks while making sure his team connects and builds chemistry, something he feels is vital for their success.

“Team wise, I would like to see all the guys mesh and come together,” Horvath said. “But more importantly, I’d love to see us make the conference playoffs.”

Horvath believes that the team has improved this season, posting a 3-3 record to date. This included a recent three game win streak where they outscored opponents by 20 goals.

In their win against Virginia Military Institute March 5, Horvath tallied six goals and one assist to lead the Catamounts to the 18-7 victory.

Just five games into this 14 game season, Horvath has piled up 12 total points, including 10 goals.

“We know we can rely on him to bury the big shot in a close game,” Buckanavage said.

Horvath has a passion for lacrosse with what he said is a strong desire to stay connected to the game throughout his life.

“Don’t have any set plans, no set jobs, but no matter what I do, I’d like to stay connected to the lacrosse community in some way,” he said.

Horvath believes the team is good enough to reach the playoffs this year, but that it “won’t be easy.”