Stevenson preview
After taking a look at the Division I schools in Maryland, let’s take a spin with the Division III teams. Today’s entry is the sixth of a week-long series taking a look at each of the seven Division III programs in this state according to alphabetical order. Tomorrow’s subject will be Washington, but today is Stevenson’s turn.
Overview: The 2009 season was a banner year for the Mustangs, who collected a school-record 17 wins, ended Salisbury's 105-game winning streak against Capital Athletic Conference opponents, and fell just one victory short of reaching the NCAA Tournament championship game. The cupboard is full, which is why many lacrosse observers are penciling in Stevenson for the finale. Coach Paul Cantabene isn't quite as willing to go that far, but he is hopeful that the team will make the strides it needs to make to improve on last year's finish.
Reason for optimism: Much of the talk about the Mustangs begins with their vaunted attack unit, which returns all three starters who led the team in scoring last year. Senior Steve Kazimer, who registered 33 goals and 36 assists, is the preseason Player of the Year. Junior and Winters Mill graduate Jimmy Dailey led the offense in assists (37) and added 29 goals, while senior Richie Ford (Towson) scored a team-high 42 goals and chipped in 13 assists. "It’s a huge luxury having them all come back together," Cantabene said. "Those guys know the system, they know the offense, and they know what to do. They’ve been under the pressure and been in tight games. They know what I want, and they know how to react. So that makes it a whole lot easier.
Reason for pessimism: It's difficult to find a weak link, but one reason why Stevenson's offense was so potent was due to the play of face-off specialist Greg Furshman, who won 110 of 173 face-offs for a .636 percentage. Furshman, who also compiled 23 goals and five assists), consistently funneled the ball to the offense, thereby ramping up the pressure on opposing defenses. Junior Ray Witte, who won 35 of 64 face-offs (.547) last spring, is the designated successor. "We think he’s going to have to play great for us this year, and he’s been doing a very good job," Cantabene said. "We’re only going to be as good as he is. If we have to play a lot of defense, we’re going to have a lot of tight games. But if he has a great year, I think the sky’s the limit for us."
Keep an eye on: A defense that surrendered a measly 6.89 goals per game last season graduated just one starter in Mike Simon. Juniors Evan Douglass (56 groundballs) and Ian Hart (28 caused turnovers) will patrol the area in front of senior goalie and Dulaney graduate Geoff Hebert (7.04 goals-against average and .594 save percentage. Senior Christian Clark (Mount St. Joseph) and junior Eric Schell, a transfer from Air Force, are competing for the third starter's position, and senior Mike Gustowarow is a three-year starter at the long-stick midfielder spot. "If they play well and Geoff is strong in the net, then I think we’ll have a great year," Cantabene said. "But if they’re a little suspect and they don’t close out possessions, then I think we’re going to have a lot more tougher games. So I think the defense is an area that’s really going to surprise a lot of people by how well they play. They’ve been doing a great job in practice, and they’re getting better because they get to go against those three attackmen every day."
What he said: On last year's accomplishments, Cantabene said, "There’s two things we want them to remember. We want them to remember how much it hurt to lose to Salisbury in the CAC championship game and how much it hurt to lose that game to Gettysburg in the semifinals. We definitely want them to remember them because we thought those were games we could’ve won, but we didn’t play particularly well. It hurt us, and we want the guys to remember that. We haven’t won anything yet, and we’re still building a program, and we have to improve. We’ve got find a way to win those games and not be satisfied with where we are."
