Bitter taste stays with Le Moyne, Dolphins meet Limestone today (by Dave Rahme) Syracuse Post-Standard

Bitter taste stays with Le Moyne

Dolphins determined not to allow Limestone to derail another D-II title run.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

By Dave Rahme

Staff writer, Syracuse Post-Standard (http://www.syracuse.com/ )

Here they are again, undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation as they prepare for their most important game of the season.

It is familiar territory for the Le Moyne College men's lacrosse team. The Dolphins (16-0) will play Limestone (11-6) at 1 p.m. today on their home field, the fourth consecutive season they have earned a home game in the NCAA Division II semifinals.

Only once have they advanced to the title game, the championship season of 2004. They desperately want to do so again.

Standing in their path, as it did a year ago, is Limestone, the team that ended Le Moyne's dream of a second consecutive national crown and its 30-game victory streak 9-8 behind the inspired play of goaltender Marty Ward (Corcoran).

Many of the Dolphins who endured that loss will be back in uniform today, the memory of last year's upset still fresh in their minds.

"Everyone on our team is going to be up for this game after what happened last year," senior captain Craig Rosecrans said. "They drew first blood on us, kicking us out. We felt like we should have been there, and we need to get it back."

Rosecrans said a 13-4 victory over the Saints to open the regular season did nothing to quench the fire ignited by the rude exit in 2005.

"It doesn't come close to the meaning of this game," he said. "This is the rematch."

Forgive Rosecrans for his skewed sense of history. Limestone was the opponent in the 2004 title game when Brandon Spillett's heroics late in the game and overtime lifted Le Moyne to its first NCAA title in any sport, so it might argue which team drew first blood.

Regardless, the Saints have had more to worry about than history since last year's dramatic victory. First, they had to replace nearly their entire offense due to graduation. Then two of their best players were kicked off the team for trouble off the field and a starting close defender was lost for the season with a broken jaw, leaving Ward as one of the few key players left from last season.

The off-field incidents apparently cost second-year coach Chris Hasbrouck his job, as he was terminated on April 26 and replaced by former assistant Chris Penicie, now the vice president of student recruitment.

"It's an unfortunate situation, what happened," Penicie said. "Being in my role here, I've always been involved with all the kids. It was just kids doing stupid kid stuff."

The turmoil has left the team down but not out. It somehow waded through the mess to rebound from a 7-5 record and win the Deep South Conference tournament for the eighth consecutive year, earning the right to travel to Le Moyne for another shot at an NCAA upset.

"This year we really are the underdog," Ward said. "Heart. That's all we can bring to the table. We're going to play loose and try to pull one out."

Pardon the Dolphins for failing to sympathize with Limestone's plight.

"No sympathy there at all," senior All-America defenseman Travis Tarr (Auburn) said.

Yet, if the Dolphins prevail and go on to win their second national title in three years, they admit the Saints will deserve some of the credit.

"I think that loss, even though I don't want to admit it, kind of helped us realize that we're not invincible," senior longstick midfielder Ted Rund said. "That we can be beat if we don't bring our 'A' game every game."

"We were all shocked," senior All-America close defender Chris Doran (East Syracuse-Minoa) said. "We were all pretty devastated. But in the end it turned out to be big motivation for this year. Coming into this season everyone worked really hard knowing what happened last year out here on our field."

The Dolphins will enter the game with a huge edge in experience, with the best defense in the nation, with the knowledge that they defeated Limestone by nine goals earlier in the season and with the memory of last year's bitter loss to fuel them.

"I remember sitting on the ground just in disbelief at what had just happened," Tarr said. "Seeing all of them run by, everybody ripping their helmets off and just screaming. It's something we've all been thinking about a little bit here or there."