Le Moyne Athletics : Upstart foe draws well-oiled machine (by Dave Rahme) Syracuse Post-Standard

May 28, 2006

Upstart foe draws well-oiled machine

Dowling is latest Long Island squad to test Le Moyne's formidable talents.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
By Dave Rahme
Staff writer, Syracuse Post-Standard http://www.syracuse.com/

Direct Link: http://www.syracuse.com/sports/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/114880650984130.xml&coll=1

Philadelphia - Lacrosse fans in Central New York know all about C.W. Post, New York Tech and Adelphi, Division II powerhouses that have gone nose-to-nose with Le Moyne over the last several years in classic Long Island-Central New York college lacrosse duels.

But Dowling? What, where and why have been the most frequently asked questions ever since the Golden Lions crushed Mercyhurst 16-4 a week ago to earn a date with the No. 1 Dolphins in today's 5:30 p.m. D-II national title game at Lincoln Financial Field.

All are answered easily. Dowling has two campuses located in Suffolk County in Long Island connected by shuttle buses. It has roughly 7,000 full-time undergraduate students and - get this - offers a school of aviation as one if its majors.

When students are on the ground they compete in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference, home to the above-noted lacrosse bullies. This season, they bullied their way to the top and earned their first-ever berth in the final four.

"The thing about this conference," fifth-year head coach Tim Boyle said, "is you're basically playing playoff lacrosse all year. You go 10-2, and it's not going to cut it."

But 11-1 (now 12-1) will, although a 10-7 loss to C.W. Post on April 5 threatened to ground the team's preseason dream of flying into lacrosse heaven.

"It was playoff lacrosse for us from that point on," Boyle said. "At that time we were playing our worst lacrosse . . . very, very sloppy lacrosse. We were making a tremendous amount of turnovers, and we were not as unselfish as we needed to be. The following game we were down to Merrimack 7-4 at the half, and there was a bit of a halftime tirade. I challenged them, 'Are we for real?'

"We came out in the second half and held them to one goal, and the offense scored 10, and from that point on we have been a different team."

Victories over 2005 national champion New York Tech and Adelphi clinched the trip to the final four, and the Golden Lions punched their ticket to Philly by clobbering Mercyhurst, a team they had defeated by only one goal during the regular season.

"My kids told me it was going to go that way," Boyle said. "We did not anticipate it. We've played them every year for the last seven years or so, and every game was a one- or two-goal game, a back-and-forth affair. This year, for whatever reason, I knew our kids were focused."

Focus is the word that comes up most often during a conversation with Boyle. He believes it is the reason this team has been able to climb higher than its predecessors and reach the title game. He hopes it can carry his squad for another 60 minutes, although he understands the enormity of the challenge ahead.

"They are a machine," he said of undefeated Le Moyne. "We got to watch them in the semifinals (a 22-3 victory over Limestone), and you watch them all over the field and try to find a weakness, and you just can't find it. It's just offensive threat after offensive threat after offensive threat."

Give Boyle a passing grade for observation. Le Moyne (17-0) is No. 2 in the nation in offense, averaging 14.71 goals a game. Twelve players have at least 10 points. Nine have at least 10 goals. Its starting attack of sophomore Mike McDonald (37 goals, 19 assists), senior Jason Longo (Cazenovia; 34-16) and sophomore Brian Cost (West Genesee; 28-15) has scored 38 more goals than the Dolphins' 17 foes combined.

Head coach Dan Sheehan moved senior Ryan Lewis (East Syracuse-Minoa; 18-20) back to midfield for the Limestone game, where he teamed with junior Matt Cassalia (West Genny, 27-5) to give the Saints fits. Senior Craig Rosecrans and sophomores Alex Bily (West Genny) and Tom Donahue (West Genny) have taken turns taking over games.

Here's the kicker, though: Despite that honor roll of accomplished players, offense is the team's "weakness." At the other end of the field, where All-America close defenders Travis Tarr (Auburn) and Chris Doran (ES-M) and All-America goalie Jared Corcoran reside, foes are scoring only 3.59 goals per game, No. 1 in the nation.

Throw in a faceoff unit that wins 67 percent of its draws and a team that has experienced the fanfare and pressure of championships weekend, and Boyle's "machine" comparison comes into focus.

Before handing the Dolphins the key to the city, though, consider this: Boyle's Golden Lions will enter the game with the No. 1 offense in the nation (15.62 goals per game) and a respectable defense that is ranked No. 5 (8.38 goals per game allowed).

Sheehan watched Dowling dismantle Mercyhurst. He likes attackmen Chris Dupignac (42-15) and Ryan Campbell (32-30) and middies CJ Leary (26-14) and Nick Cotter (32-5). He loves the takeaway ability of longstick middie Juan Javier Munguia, who Sheehan calls "a vacuum on ground balls." He said Dowling is one of the few teams who can match the size of his defensive middies, senior Nate Evans (6-3) and junior Kevin Kohl (Liverpool).

Now, Dowling faces a machine, a team that is 61-2 over the last four seasons but has won only one national title.

"We have to limit their runs on us," Boyle said. "Lacrosse is a game of storms and who can weather the storms, who's going to shake off the mistakes. We don't have to be the best all-around team, just the best team on that day. That will be our focus."



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May 28, 2006 Upstart foe draws well-oiled machine Dowling is latest Long Island squad to test Le Moyne's formidable talents. Sunday, May 28, 2006 By Dave Rahme Staff writer, Syracuse Post-Standard http://www.syracuse.com/ Direct Link: http://www.syracuse.com/sports/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/114880650984130.xml&coll=1 Philadelphia - Lacrosse fans in Central New York know all about C.W. Post, New York Tech and Adelphi, Division II powerhouses that have gone nose-to-nose with Le Moyne over the last several years in classic Long Island-Central New York college lacrosse duels. But Dowling? What, where and why have been the most frequently asked questions ever since the Golden Lions crushed Mercyhurst 16-4 a week ago to earn a date with the No. 1 Dolphins in today's 5:30 p.m. D-II national title game at Lincoln Financial Field. All are answered easily. Dowling has two campuses located in Suffolk County in Long Island connected by shuttle buses. It has roughly 7,000 full-time undergraduate students and - get this - offers a school of aviation as one if its majors. When students are on the ground they compete in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference, home to the above-noted lacrosse bullies. This season, they bullied their way to the top and earned their first-ever berth in the final four. "The thing about this conference," fifth-year head coach Tim Boyle said, "is you're basically playing playoff lacrosse all year. You go 10-2, and it's not going to cut it." But 11-1 (now 12-1) will, although a 10-7 loss to C.W. Post on April 5 threatened to ground the team's preseason dream of flying into lacrosse heaven. "It was playoff lacrosse for us from that point on," Boyle said. "At that time we were playing our worst lacrosse . . . very, very sloppy lacrosse. We were making a tremendous amount of turnovers, and we were not as unselfish as we needed to be. The following game we were down to Merrimack 7-4 at the half, and there was a bit of a halftime tirade. I challenged them, 'Are we for real?' "We came out in the second half and held them to one goal, and the offense scored 10, and from that point on we have been a different team." Victories over 2005 national champion New York Tech and Adelphi clinched the trip to the final four, and the Golden Lions punched their ticket to Philly by clobbering Mercyhurst, a team they had defeated by only one goal during the regular season. "My kids told me it was going to go that way," Boyle said. "We did not anticipate it. We've played them every year for the last seven years or so, and every game was a one- or two-goal game, a back-and-forth affair. This year, for whatever reason, I knew our kids were focused." Focus is the word that comes up most often during a conversation with Boyle. He believes it is the reason this team has been able to climb higher than its predecessors and reach the title game. He hopes it can carry his squad for another 60 minutes, although he understands the enormity of the challenge ahead. "They are a machine," he said of undefeated Le Moyne. "We got to watch them in the semifinals (a 22-3 victory over Limestone), and you watch them all over the field and try to find a weakness, and you just can't find it. It's just offensive threat after offensive threat after offensive threat." Give Boyle a passing grade for observation. Le Moyne (17-0) is No. 2 in the nation in offense, averaging 14.71 goals a game. Twelve players have at least 10 points. Nine have at least 10 goals. Its starting attack of sophomore Mike McDonald (37 goals, 19 assists), senior Jason Longo (Cazenovia; 34-16) and sophomore Brian Cost (West Genesee; 28-15) has scored 38 more goals than the Dolphins' 17 foes combined. Head coach Dan Sheehan moved senior Ryan Lewis (East Syracuse-Minoa; 18-20) back to midfield for the Limestone game, where he teamed with junior Matt Cassalia (West Genny, 27-5) to give the Saints fits. Senior Craig Rosecrans and sophomores Alex Bily (West Genny) and Tom Donahue (West Genny) have taken turns taking over games. Here's the kicker, though: Despite that honor roll of accomplished players, offense is the team's "weakness." At the other end of the field, where All-America close defenders Travis Tarr (Auburn) and Chris Doran (ES-M) and All-America goalie Jared Corcoran reside, foes are scoring only 3.59 goals per game, No. 1 in the nation. Throw in a faceoff unit that wins 67 percent of its draws and a team that has experienced the fanfare and pressure of championships weekend, and Boyle's "machine" comparison comes into focus. Before handing the Dolphins the key to the city, though, consider this: Boyle's Golden Lions will enter the game with the No. 1 offense in the nation (15.62 goals per game) and a respectable defense that is ranked No. 5 (8.38 goals per game allowed). Sheehan watched Dowling dismantle Mercyhurst. He likes attackmen Chris Dupignac (42-15) and Ryan Campbell (32-30) and middies CJ Leary (26-14) and Nick Cotter (32-5). He loves the takeaway ability of longstick middie Juan Javier Munguia, who Sheehan calls "a vacuum on ground balls." He said Dowling is one of the few teams who can match the size of his defensive middies, senior Nate Evans (6-3) and junior Kevin Kohl (Liverpool). Now, Dowling faces a machine, a team that is 61-2 over the last four seasons but has won only one national title. "We have to limit their runs on us," Boyle said. "Lacrosse is a game of storms and who can weather the storms, who's going to shake off the mistakes. We don't have to be the best all-around team, just the best team on that day. That will be our focus."