Mount St. Mary's eager to delve into conference play
Mount St. Mary’s was 10 minutes, 30 seconds away from potentially sending Loyola to its fourth consecutive loss on Saturday. Instead, the visiting Greyhounds snapped a 9-9 tie with a game-ending 5-1 run.
Being so close to a positive outcome only to come out on the losing end could devastate a young, emerging program, but coach Tom Gravante said he believes that the Mountaineers (3-4) won’t be bothered by a hangover effect.
“That could be the case,” he said Tuesday. “We told them after the game, ‘Gentlemen, we’re very proud of you and how you played, but the bottom line is, you can’t just play 55 out of 60 minutes.’ You’ve got to play a complete game, and that’s a tough one to take on the chin. But sometimes there’s more to learn by losing than winning, and hopefully, this makes them hungry and ready to focus on practice first as we move towards Saturday. I think they have responded. We had a good go this morning, and we’re looking for a good go on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I’d be a little concerned and nervous if they were gun-shy and licking their wounds and feeling sorry for themselves. But I think they know me well enough that I’m not going to allow them and this program to be like that.”
It helps that Mount St. Mary’s begins play in the inaugural Northeast Conference (NEC) on Saturday with a visit from Robert Morris. Although there is a two-year waiting period for a conference automatic qualifier, there is still a season-ending league tournament and the boasting power of being the NEC champion.
“That pressure isn’t there yet, but still, it’s the pressure of competing to make the playoffs,” Gravante said. “And what I like is if you stay on top, you get to play at home through the playoffs, and that’s a definite advantage for teams.”
While this will be the Mountaineers’ first foray into conference play, it won’t be their first meeting with the Colonials, who dropped a 19-13 decision to Mount St. Mary’s last season. Gravante said he emphasized to his players that they actually trailed 6-2 in that game before rallying for the victory.
“I certainly don’t want that same thing to happen because you might not get a second chance,” he said. “That team isn’t going to forget what happened. If they get up on us this time, they may not let us back in. This time, I want to start and finish this game on top. So I let them know that today at the end of practice.”
