ECC Lacrosse Insider:ECC Rivals Mercyhurst And C.W. Post Face Off For Trip To Championship
On the heels of a thrilling one-goal game back on April 9, East Coast Conference men's lacrosse foes C.W. Post and Mercyhurst are set for one more showdown.
And like that earlier season contest, which saw C.W. Post come away with a 4-3 win, the stakes are considerable once again. While the previous meeting ultimately decided an ECC champion, this weekend's match-up will send one squad to the 2011 NCAA men's lacrosse championship game.
For Mercyhurst, the squad is looking to avenge that April loss to the Pioneers and get back to the NCAA Finals for the first time since '07. As for C.W. Post, the team looks for its third-straight championship appearance after winning the last two titles. Saturday's semifinal contest is set for 12 PM at Hickox Field in Brookville, New York.
Considering that both teams boast deep rosters and that last month's battle ended in a one-goal difference, expect another back-and-forth affair that proves close from start to finish.
“We're anticipating another tight game,” said Mercyhurst head coach Chris Ryan, who led his squad to a 12-2 overall record this season. “These are two teams that match up quite well and are highly motivated considering what's on the line. I can't see the game getting away from either team.”
Upon further inspection, last month's contest resulted in a defensive affair that never saw either team go ahead by more than two goals. For instance, the Pioneers went up 2-0 early before Mercyhurst clawed back to tie the game at 2-2. In the second half, C.W. Post went ahead 4-2 early before holding on for the one-goal victory.
While both teams didn't necessarily sit on the ball or play at a particularly slow pace in that contest, the game eventually came down to a pair of elite defenses limiting high-quality opportunities for the opposing offenses. Goalies Zack Nash and
Mike Giordano both posted double-digit saves and were X-factors throughout.
“That was a tough battle,” C.W. Post head coach
John Jez said. “The ball bounced our way that day and both defenses played extremely well. Since then, both teams have matured offensively. I think it all comes down to which goalie steps up the most and which team wins the most face-offs.”
Ever since that last meeting with the Pioneers, Mercyhurst has won five consecutive games, including crucial contests against Div. II titans NYIT and Limestone. The 10-8 victory over NYIT on April 30 sealed Mercyhurst a second place finish in the ECC. Meanwhile, the team's 12-8 win over Limestone a week prior was the only loss of the season for the Saints. That result was likely a major factor in the Lakers landing this year's at-large playoff bid.
All the while, the Lakers have found a nice balance this season behind an opportunistic offense and disciplined, ball-hawking defense. On offense, the squad is averaging 10.79 goals per game and equipped with the top man-up scoring percentage in the ECC at .380. Defensively, despite facing the likes of C.W. Post, Limestone, NYIT, Dowling and Mars Hill, Mercyhurst has yet to allow any team to score more than nine goals in a game. If the Lakers can reach double-digit goals offensively on Saturday, look for the squad to land a finals berth.
“The guys kept persevering, pushing forward and working hard this season, and it paid off for them in the end,” Ryan said. “We had some losses that we wanted to get back, but overall, when you look at the body of work, it was strong, and we are proud of what the guys have accomplished so far.”
Further demonstrating its loaded roaster, a total of seven players received conference honors for the '11 campaign. Senior midfielder Kevin Coholan and junior LSM Greg Bensman were both recently named to the All-ECC First Team, while senior defender Matt Scherer and sophomore attack Brian Scheetz earned Second Team honors.
While Mercyhurst certainly proved to be one of Div. II's top programs, C.W. Post has held steady as title favorites from the very onset. The Pioneers finished the regular season 16-1 overall, 9-1 in ECC play en route to a third-straight title, and led the league in goals per game (12.35), assists per game (7.53), ground balls per game (39.88), points per game (19.88), shots per game (40.71), goals against average (4.76) and face-off percentage (.669).
Quite simply, the Pioneers have been stellar in nearly all facets of the game in '11. A total of 10 players received all-conference honors as well, including midfielder
Mike Messina, who was named ECC Player of the Year. Also named to the First Team was senior defender
Dan DaCosta, face-off specialist
Ronnie Irving, defender
Erik Boyd, junior midfielder
Keith Rodriguez and junior attacker
Eddie Plompen.
As for the team's dynamic offense, Plompen, Coric and Messina have combined for 115 goals this season in 17 games, good for more than half the team's goals per game. If the trio puts up consistent numbers on Saturday, expect the Pioneers to move on to their third consecutive championship game. Irving should also have a big say as to whether his team should advance. The midfielder posted a .670 face-off winning percentage this season, leading his team to the top face-off mark in the conference. If Irving gets the upper hand in this re-match, look for the Pioneers to take advantage of the extra possessions.
While Jez is confident his team can walk away victorious for the second time against Mercyhurst, he realizes a major obstacle stands in their way.
“They have some great long poles and two attackers that can really score,” Jez said. “We need to get possessions out of face-offs and control the ball on offense. If we can do that, I think we'll be able to dictate the tempo of game and see what happens from there.”
With these formidable squads being quite familiar with each other and battle-tested this season, Ryan believes the difference on Saturday boils down to one thing.
“It comes down to execution,” the Mercyhurst head coach said. “You can't change your style of play or add too much at this point. Last time we didn't execute offensively. Now, it's about playing a fundamentally sound game and executing your systems on both ends of the field. I don't feel like starting the recruiting process this early. I hope that we can put one more hard game together and come out with the win.”
The winning team will advance to the championship game and play the winner of Limestone/Adelphi on May 29 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.