St. Mary's preview
This entry is the fourth in a series taking a look at each of the seven Division III programs in this state according to their order of finish from last season. The Sun’s lacrosse preview is slated to be published on Thursday, Feb. 17. Today is St. Mary’s turn.
Overview: Expectations are rising as the Seahawks continue to develop under coach Chris Hasbrouck, who is 18-13 in two seasons. After finishing third in the Capital Athletic Conference and compiling a 10-6 record, the team has earned spots in preseason polls by Inside Lacrosse (No. 18) and Lacrosse Magazine (No. 20). The biggest obstacle to St. Mary’s winning the conference tournament crown and qualifying for the school’s first NCAA Tournament? In-state rivals Stevenson and Salisbury. Still, the Seahawks are eager to test their mettle against their opponents.
Reason for optimism: The offense graduated just one starter in midfielder Ryan Alexander and returned 13 of its top 15 scorers from last season. The returning players are well-versed in Hasbrouck’s system, which means that there’s less time in practice spent on getting players familiar with the plays. “We’re not having to teach the majority of the team what we’re doing on the offensive end,” Hasbrouck said. “Practices were extremely smooth – from the fall right into the beginning of spring. We’re all on the same page right now, and we’ve got the luxury of working a bunch of different combinations of players. That’s been great. I think we’re clicking right now. Thirteen of our top 15 scorers are back, and the last two freshmen classes have been really strong. So they’re giving us great depth. It has been nice.”
Reason for pessimism: Losing Alexander sapped the offense of its top playmaker from the midfield. Hasbrouck is confident and seniors Chris Becraft (12 goals and six assists), Chris Morihlatko (10, 6) and Bobby Cooke (12, 0) and sophomore Patrick Mull (7, 25) can fill the void, but the team is still experimenting with the right personnel for the first line. “I think if anything now, more guys are going to have the opportunity to step to the front and take a little bit more responsibility on themselves,” Hasbrouck said. “… I think we’re spreading the ball a lot more. We can attack from a lot of different areas on the field. We have good variety of midfielders right now, and I think that’s going to help us.”
Keep an eye on: The coaches are still undecided on whether to start senior Pat Simpson or redshirt junior Stu Wheeler in the cage. Simpson registered a 9.20 goals-against average and a .574 save percentage in 15 starts in 2009 before he was supplanted by Wheeler, who posted a 9.21 GAA and a .548 save percentage last spring. “Pat’s been playing very, very well,” Hasbrouck said. “His sophomore year, he had a great year, and Stu transferred in last year and played extremely well for us. Pat’s worked very hard in the offseason, he’s had a great spring so far. So it wouldn’t surprise me to see either of those guys in the net.”
What he said: Hasbrouck chuckled when asked about the Seahawks recently earning national acclaim with their presence in in preseason polls. “I think any recognition is nice. It’s just that right now, anything in the preseason is based a little bit on what you did last year,” he reasoned. “We kind of got out of the gate a little bit slow, but we came on and had a pretty solid year. It’s kind of a cliché, but it goes back to the guys. They’re buying into what we want to do. I think that more than anything – bringing in the right kids from an athletic standpoint and from an academic standpoint – it’s nice, but none of our guys are putting too much stock into it. Then again, I’d rather have it than not.”
