REVIEW

The good: The Mountaineers were on a mission to return to the NCAA Tournament after losing in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed. Then the season opened with back-to-back losses – culminating with a seven-goal setback to Jacksonville, a program making its debut in Division I. But after a public tongue-lashing by coach Tom Gravante and a renewed focus at practices, the team responded with five straight victories, including wins against two nationally-ranked teams in Lafayette and Robert Morris. Mount St. Mary’s would eventually set a single-season record with 12 wins. "They just weren’t playing lacrosse for us yet," Gravante said. "We needed an attitude of change and we did that immediately after the game against Jacksonville." … An offense that averaged just 5.99 goals last season exploded for 10.59 goals this spring. In almost every major offensive category, the unit was much improved – from shot percentage (.243 in 2009 to .338 in 2010), assists (58 to 91) and shots per game (24.7 to 31.4). With sophomore attackman Cody Lehrer (48 goals and nine assists) and freshman attackman Andrew Scalley (32, 17) leading the way, the offense demonstrated a level of development that coaches had been hoping for. "We had 17 new faces on the field last year, and the guys who were scoring were freshmen and sophomores," Gravante said. "They went home and over the summer, they improved their game as well as their physiques. We asked them to gain weight and strength that would help them physically as well as mentally, and when they came back this fall, we saw the fruits of their labor." … Scalley and Brett and Bryant Schmidt infused a level of talent and skill the Mountaineers desperately needed. Scalley provided a passing option to pair with Lehrer, and Brett Schmidt (17, 21), a sophomore attackman, and Bryant Schmidt (21, 16), a sophomore midfielder, filled out the first attack and midfield lines.

The bad: As the offense started scoring more, so did Mount St. Mary’s opponents. Opposing offenses averaged 9.35 goals this season, which is almost two goals more than the 7.78 goals per game the Mountaineers surrendered last spring. Gravante said he is hopeful that the defense will improve and thereby relieve some of the pressure off of junior goalkeeper T.C. DiBartolo (9.39 goals-against average and .590 save percentage). "The key is what these kids do over the offseason," Gravante said. "The way we get better is by the way these kids live their lives over the summer." … As mentioned above, the offense fared much better this season, but also encountered its fair share of hiccups, scoring seven or fewer goals in seven contests. Chalk some of that up to the unit’s youth, but Gravante said the offense must mature physically and mentally quickly. "I think at times, we were our own worst nightmare because they made decisions that weren’t very good," he said. "They make young mistakes, and I hope that with the experience of the game and the commitment they make over the summer, they’ll grow up from those mistakes to where we can be more poised and better manage the ball." … Transitioning the ball from defense to offense continued to be a sore point for the team, which successfully cleared the ball 78.9 percent (255-of-323) of the time. Gravante pledged to take a look at that aspect of the team’s game. "Clearing is one thing that was giving us problems towards the end of the season when it got nip-and-tuck with the end of the regular-season games," he said. "You’ve got to clear the ball."

PREVIEW

Personnel changes: The two major losses are on the defensive end where finding replacements for Russell Moncure (27 groundballs and 14 caused turnovers) and Matt Nealis (19 groundballs) are immediate priorities. A trio of sophomores in Brendan Rooney, David Tarleton and Jesse Schuman will likely compete with fifth-year senior Kasey Burst and freshman Kevin Downs. Junior long-stick midfielder Justin Schmidt (29 groundballs) and sophomore long-stick midfielder Mark Burns (32 groundballs and 10 caused turnovers) could also make the move to close defense. "If push comes to shove, we can move those guys down because of their experience," Gravante said. "I’m not worried about losing those two young men. They’re both very, very good, but I think we have some kids who can fill their spots. They may not be able to play as well as them, but they’ll be good enough to be competitive and win." … With no seniors among the top seven scorers, the offense should be just as prosperous as it was this past season. Junior midfielders Mark Stapor (6, 1) and Brendan Harrison (2, 4) could be competing for extended playing time on the top two lines.

Forecast for 2011: Partly sunny. Mount St. Mary’s is loaded on offense and that unit should be the backbone of next year’s team. The concern is on defense where the losses of Moncure and Nealis could be problematic. DiBartolo has seen too many shots, but his commitment to improvement is a reason why he finished the season ranked sixth among Division I goalies in save percentage. Making the move to the newly-formed Northeast Conference puts the Mountaineers in the crosshairs of Bryant and Robert Morris for the league’s automatic qualifier, but count on Gravante to use that as motivation.