Apr. 29—Ben Keller came to Plum in October to take over a boys lacrosse program seeking direction.
The team was youthful but also rife with potential and talent ready to make strides and grow together in the five months before the start of this season.
The Mustangs weathered the expected ups and downs in games the past two months, and with a win Thursday against West Allegheny, they will clinch a winning record for the first time in the program's 13-year history.
"It is kind of surreal, in a way," Plum junior attacker Matt Amen said. "We started off in the fall not knowing what would happen or if we would even have a team. We were coming off not having the best season (4-9 overall in 2025), too. The morale was down a little bit. But since then and through the season, it is so much better.
"To come this far to where we have set a school record for wins and are so close to getting a winning record, it is a great feeling to look back on what we've accomplished. There is so much momentum with this program right now."
Plum is 8-7 overall after Tuesday's Section 1-3A loss to Mt. Lebanon. The Mustangs have scored 10 or more goals in a game five times.
"We are really playing as a team and have found our identity," junior midfielder and team leading scorer Jack Majcher said.
That identity, Amen said, has been fueled by the coaches helping establish a winning culture.
"(Coach Keller and assistant coach Isaac Joshi) know what they are talking about, and they have been so supportive of every player on this team," Amen said. "They are guys you want to be around, and that helps so much on the field."
Keller, a substitute teacher at Steel Valley also employed by Pittsburgh-based True Lacrosse, is a graduate of Olentangy Orange High School near Columbus, Ohio. He came to Pittsburgh to continue his education and join the men's lacrosse team at Chatham. That is where Keller formed a connection with Joshi as teammates that continues as coaching colleagues.
"My first day as Plum coach, we were in the Zombie Tournament at Bethel Park," Keller said. "I hadn't met a single guy yet. I had just signed on and showed up to the tournament for three games on the day. That is the fastest way to get to know a group of guys. I had a roster of who we had and was just going by numbers.
"I had two dads on the sideline helping me out. We had almost all the players, barring the guys who were playing a fall sport. It was just a great learning experience for me. We got going that day and haven't stopped building since."
Keller said he immediately could see the talent he had to work with as he began to implement his system.
"There was a lot of experience on defense and more youth on offense that needed some molding as far as what sets to run," Keller said. "We put in some structure and had the guys running some plays we felt would maximize their talents. We could see how athletic this group was."
Plum players were on the field a lot through the rest of the fall and into the winter months to get ready for the season.
The Mustangs started with a 7-1 win over Allderdice and were victorious in four of their first five contests.
Attacker James Beall and defensemen Otis Wolfe and Connor Burgess were celebrated on senior night against Baldwin on April 15. Despite a 5-3 loss, Beall said he was able to pause and reflect on his career and the careers of his senior teammates while seeing the steps forward the young team had taken this season.
"This team has a stronger bond this season compared to previous years," he said. "We've gotten closer on and off the field, and that has allowed us to play well together and get some nice wins."
The Mustangs stayed strong together to win four games by two goals or fewer, including a 10-9 triumph in double overtime against Seton LaSalle, a 13-12 victory over Knoch and a 7-5 win over Avonworth.
The signature victory was a 9-8 home win in overtime April 13 against rival Franklin Regional, which put Plum at 7-4 overall.