Weekend Watch: Old Friends, New Rivals
by Jac Coyne | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff | Coyne Archive | Twitter
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| The Face Off for a Cause event will take this place this weekend in Orlando. |
When Brian Corrente joined the staff of the University of Central
Florida, there was no question what he wanted to accomplish this
season and it all hinged on humbling his alma mater.
"I think the first thing I said at our initial fall meeting was I
had three goals in mind. The first goal was to beat Florida State,"
said Corrente, who is UCF's offensive coordinator. "By achieving
that, we'll reach our second goal, which is to make the SELC
tournament, a place where UCF has never been to my recollection.
Then my final goal is to make it through the SELC and to the MCLA
tournament. I said it again at the beginning of spring practice and
it starts with our first game against Florida State."
The start of the season is always a time of unwavering optimism,
but those are some lofty goals, especially for a team that hasn't
come close to beating FSU - a span that encompasses part of
Corrente's stint as a midfielder for the Seminoles.
Corrente, along with fellow UCF assistant coach and former FSU
alum Brian Lombard, and the rest of the Central Florida team will
find out exactly how they stack up when they battle the
‘Noles on Saturday at 12 p.m. at the "Face Off for a Cause" event in Orlando that will
benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.
While Corrente will be squaring off against his former coach, Bill
Harkins, he insists he will not be intimidated by the biggest bully
on the SELC block.
"I know their talent and I know their strengths, but I know that
my group at UCF has the talent to compete with Florida State, and
not just Florida State but any program in the MCLA," said Corrente.
"We're not going into it nervous or anything like that. We're not
intimidated because we're playing Florida State. We want to compete
against the best and beat the best and we know Florida State is
right up there with the best. With the strong fall we had, I know
we'll be ready."
And how does Harkins, who has watched team after team attempt to
knock his Tallahassee powerhouse off its perch, react to Corrente's
brash comments?
"I love it," said Harkins. "He was always very competitive
and I know he got some of that from playing for FSU. It is a very
proud moment watching former players coaching or refereeing
and giving back to the game. You just hope that some of their love
for the game in some small way came from some of your
influence."
Still Harkins isn't afraid to let the Knights know that they are
still second fiddle until the whistle blows on Saturday, and
possibly afterwards.
"The key to stopping UCF will be neutralizing David Drehoff and
Chris Chomic, however it is my belief that they need to figure out
how to stop FSU, not the other way around," said Harkins. "The
closest they have ever been to us was last year, and we beat them
by seven."
In order to stop the skid against the Seminoles, the Knights will
have to concentrate on two key factors.
"I know for a fact after playing for Harkins for three years that
we were the best conditioned athletes on the field no matter who we
played," he said. "We ran all the time, so to be able to go all
four quarters and overtime if necessary, that will be a big factor
to beat Florida State. We're also going to have to play flawless.
We can't make any mistakes or take any penalties."
That's likely to be a tall order for a squad that finished 5-5 in
2009 and is breaking in a new coaching staff for the season opener,
but Corrente is hoping that sheer will power will put UCF over the
top.
"I know for a fact that both of us [Corrente and Lombard] want to
win this game more than anyone else on the field," said Corrente.
"I don't know if the players feel the same way, but I hope they do.
All my players know that we're going after Florida State and I want
this win."
Pressure Zone
The players who must make a difference this
weekend
Britt Cone, LSM,
Brigham Young
Slowing down the potent Chapman transition game and
neutralizing the Panthers set pieces will fall squarely on Cone. In
addition, he'll be required to use his speed to help against the
fierce Chapman ride.
Matt Leach,
Goalie, Greensboro
Coming off a junior year that was hampered by a knee injury
requiring surgery, Leach is primed to carry the load in goal for
the Pride. He'll have to on Sunday against No. 5 Salisbury. While
Greensboro needs a lot to go right to pick up the win, it starts
with Leach making about a half dozen saves that he shouldn't have.
GC coach Dan Cetrone said Leach was rounding into form at the end
of '09 and should be ready to roll.
Justin Blackmore,
Attack, Oregon
In its win over UCSB, Cal stuffed the Gauchos offense early
on and by the time Santa Barbara figured out the Golden Bears
defense, it was too late. Blackmore needs to get the Ducks out to a
quick start, forcing Cal to chase the game for the first half. As
the Bears press to get back in the contest, the Oregon transition
game should be able to exploit the situation and expand the lead
for the win.
Slides & Rides
- I asked Dan Cetrone, the Greensboro coach, about a
player or two on his team who we might know a lot more about after
Sunday's game with Salisbury and he said senior middie Nick Patrone
and sophomore middie John Anglin were two to watch. Cetrone thought
both were All-American caliber kids last year, and feels they'll
get more looks in 2010. Patrone was the Pride's leading goal-scorer
with 31 markers last spring.
- Mary Washington had a promising start to the 2009 season by
doubling up Virginia Wesleyan in the season opener, which was
followed by a triumph over Hampden-Sydney and a one-goal loss to
W&L. The Eagles went .500 the rest of the way for an 8-7
finish, so don't expect Saturday's rematch to mean much for the
rest season.
- I am heading to Sonoma, Calif., for a brief vacation featuring
copious amounts of wine tasting. There will be no Making
Sense column on Monday, but Schooling Schooler and the
Weekend Watch will be posted on Thursday and Friday,
respectively.
