St. Mary's at Stevenson: Three things to watch
St. Mary’s is making its third straight appearance in the semifinals of the Capital Athletic Conference tournament, but the Seahawks (6-8 overall and 4-4 in the CAC) have not beaten Stevenson since April 20, 2007. The newly-anointed No. 1 Mustangs (15-1, 8-0) have lost just one game at Caves Athletic Complex in Owings Mills since the beginning of the 2010 season. Here are a few factors that could influence the outcome on Wednesday.
1) Settle the unsettled. Stevenson is most dangerous when given the opportunity to control the tempo of games and then run amok. Having a faceoff specialist like senior Ray Witte (176-of-270 for .652 percentage) helps either igniting the fastbreak or simply giving possession to the offense. St. Mary’s coach Chris Hasbrouck said slowing down the Mustangs in unsettled situations is the biggest challenge. “They’re tough between the lines,” he said. “They do a great job in their unsettled offense. They just move the ball extremely well, they’ve got a couple kids who have been playing together for a long time at attack, and they finish very, very well. Their midfielders can push the pace. So we’ve got to defend. The ground balls in the middle of the field are going to be huge, and we’ve got to execute.”
2) Get out fast. Stevenson’s last win occurred on Saturday as the offense scored six of the game’s first seven goals in a 16-12 victory over No. 3 Salisbury. Mustangs coach coach Paul Cantabene said quick beginnings tend to force opponents to play at the rate that Stevenson enjoys. “It’s nice to get an early lead because it kinds of makes teams play differently,” Cantabene said. “It takes them out of their game plan a little bit. They’ve got to try to force some things. I think getting out to that early lead really gave our guys confidence that they could do some things, and then it gives you that comfort level where you don’t have to panic.”
3) Finish it. If St. Mary’s has any hope of pulling off the upset, the offense must execute when it has the ball. It’s not likely that the Mustangs will leave their offense in the locker room. So it is vital that the Seahawks take advantage when they have the ball on the offensive end of the field, Hasbrouck said. “I think from our end, we’ve got to cash in on our opportunities,” he said. “I think with their style of play, we’re going to have the ball in our sticks, and at that point, it’s just our execution on the offensive end because if you don’t finish your opportunities against them, you’re in trouble. They’re definitely going to score goals. This game is not going to be 5-4. So when we get the ball, we have to execute on the offensive end. I don’t really think that trying to slow it down is going to work. They’re just an up-tempo team, and they’re extremely aggressive. So I think we’re going to get some chances, so at that point, we’ve got to execute on the offensive end.”
Categories: St. Mary's, Stevenson, Three things to watch
