May 2, 2007
by Jac Coyne, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
Due to the overarching importance of regional competition to the NCAA Division II men's lacrosse committee, Sunday's game between then-No. 7 Limestone and No. 4 Bryant will have no bearing on the postseason decisions to be made at the end of this week. What this game, which was won convincingly by Limestone, 13-8, did show was ignoring the Saints -- the soon-to-be NCAA representative from the South -- is a foolish proposition.
Prior to the Bryant win, there was a tendency to discount Limestone because the Saints' schedule was predominantly comprised of South region teams that don't appear in the upper tier of the national polls like a lot of Central and North squads. Of the 12 regular season games prior to last week's CVAC tournament, only one was outside of the region -- a 7-4 loss to Adelphi.
So there was Limestone on Sunday, ranked seventh in the country despite a 13-1 record, about to handle the top team in the North by five goals on a neutral field. It was the same Saints program that, prior to last year, had made it to the D-II title game every year since 2000, winning the whole thing in '00 and '02.
Could the lack of recognition have played a role in this rankings upset?
"I like to say it's a motivator, but it's not," said Mike Cerino, who returned to Limestone after spending five years at Washington and Lee. "We try and control the things we can. In Division II, regional play is a priority, so we worry about regional play. If going up North is what got us into the NCAAs, that's what we'd worry about. We worry about the criteria in front of us."
And the criteria in front of them tell Cerino and his troops that they are locks for the four-team NCAA tournament that will be announced Sunday. Since they were able to check off all the necessities to get the South berth, they decided to take a stab at a North squad.
It wasn't easy.
Since Limestone is in exams, Cerino had to gain permission from the administration to make the trip to Johns Hopkins and meet Bryant, as well as hold a mandatory study hall on the trip.
"It wasn't easy, but it was worth it, because of the venue we were at and the ability to play a quality team, a well-coached team," added Cerino. "You want to give the guys the best lacrosse experience we could, so it was worth it."
The win over Bryant was the culmination of a season spent developing an understanding between the new coaching staff and the players.
"I had their attention from the very first meeting, but I had to gain their trust," said Cerino. "I definitely had their attention and that's what you need, but trust is earned. And that took time and it was a two-way street -- they had to earn my trust."
Some of the trust-building came off the field. Cerino instituted policies on how each player was to handle himself on campus, whether in an academic or social setting. Attending class and studying were not options. Programs helping out in the community were also implemented.
On the field and in the weight room, there were similar expectations.
"I was talking with the strength coach and he said this was one of the worst groups he had on campus," said Cerino. "It's hard to be the best team in the region when you're not even the hardest-working team on your own campus. We kind of took it one step at a time, got a couple of breaks along the way and managed to put together a pretty good season."
The Saints know there are potentially two games left in the season and very few outside of their locker room believe they'll win one of them. No team ever wants to be discounted, but it's fun making others look like fools.
A New Kind of Bishop
Ohio Wesleyan is no stranger to the Division III tourney, and is set to return this year. The Battling Bishops have locked up the top Pool B bid by taking down their top competitors -- NCAC rivals Kenyon and Denison.
But this season will have a different feel. Unlike years past, this version of OWU is not quite as top-heavy in terms of scoring. The Bishops have the option of running their offense through numerous conduits, not just one stud attackman.
"Yes, Chris Eccles is our number one guy, but if you're shutting him down, someone else is ready to step up," said Sean Ryan, OWU's head coach. "In years past, when we had a John Schlegel, if you shut him down we really had to worry whether other guys would step up. As a coach you wanted them to, but it didn't always happen.
"Now if you do shut down Chris Eccles, you have to worry about Steve Fowler or Dave Castignola. It just shows the unselfishness of play. The guys are throwing the ball around and creating for each other."
Another aspect of this year's team that has Ryan excited is the heavy lifting being done by players who will return next year. Eccles, OWU's top scorer and the 2006 NCAC player of the year, and Fowler (11g, 5a) are juniors, while Castignola (36g, 9a) and Eric Turner (23g, 14a) are both sophomores.
"That's the most exciting part of our team -- when you look at our scoring and seeing the number of underclassmen," said Ryan.
Even though the team is relatively young, the Bishops will not be unknowing lambs being led to slaughter when the tournament starts. Ryan made sure his players tasted what was waiting for them when he scheduled Salisbury, Lynchburg and Stevens Tech during the regular season. Those games constitute the only setbacks for this 11-3 squad, but also provide the bulk of the knowledge.
"When we played Salisbury and Lynchburg, we were in hostile environments and they are teams that set the tone of the game," said Ryan. "At the opening whistle they say, 'This is how we are going to play, and you're either going to play with us or it's going to be a long day for you.' That was a huge learning experience.
"To play the better teams early on prepares us for games down the road. You like to see that early on and see how your players react. We were very pleased at how the players have come around and refocused their whole attitude."
Time will tell how deep OWU can go in this year's tournament, but all the challenges they face this year will be building blocks for what could be an experienced squad in '08.
D-III Conference Tournaments
Here's a brief look at where we stand in the Division III automatic qualifying conferences.
Capital: In a real stunner, Salisbury won the championship last Sunday.
Centennial: The semifinals are set for this Friday at Gettysburg. The hosts play Haverford while Dickinson and Washington College square off in the other semi. The championship game is on Sunday.
Commonwealth Coast: The quarterfinals kicked off yesterday with top seeds Endicott and Roger Williams awaiting the winners on Thursday. The championship game is on Saturday with Endicott as the heavy favorite.
Empire 8: Nazareth took down Ithaca in the championship game on Sunday, 16-14. Ithaca should feel good about a Pool C bid. RIT, which lost to Ithaca in the semis, should not.
Liberty: RPI travels to top-seeded St. Lawrence on Friday while Clarkson visits Skidmore in the other semifinal. Winner meets Sunday for the AQ.
Little East: The quarterfinals started yesterday and top seeds Keene State and Eastern Conn. have a bye into Thursday's semis. The Owls and Warriors will likely meet in the finals.
MAC: This tourney, which started on Monday, is wide open with three teams -- Widener, Messiah or Elizabethtown -- capable of winning it all. Semifinals are Thursday and finals on Saturday.
NESCAC: The tourney won't be in Middlebury, Vt., for the first time in its history as the sixth-seeded Panthers must play at top-seeded Tufts. Wesleyan and Williams will tangle in the other Saturday semifinal. The title game is Sunday.
North Atlantic: This is the first season the NAC has an AQ, and it will be Mount Ida hosting Castleton State in the championship game on Saturday.
ODAC: Third-seeded Lynchburg took down second-seeded Hampden-Sydney yesterday to advance to the title game on either Saturday or Sunday. Today, W&L travels to Roanoke in the other semi.
PAC: The four-team tourney will commence on Wednesday when top-seeded Cabrini hosts Eastern and second-seeded Wesley entertains Shenandoah. The title match is Saturday at the higher seed.
Pilgrim: Lasell visits top dog Western New England today in one semi and Babson travels to Springfield in the other. Championship on Saturday.
Skyline: In the first shocker of the postseason so far, Merchant Marine jumped up and bit Stevens Tech in the title game to earn the automatic qualifier and adding the Ducks to the already bloated Pool C contingent.
SUNYAC: The semifinals start today with Oneonta traveling to top-seeded Cortland and Geneseo hosting Potsdam. Automatic qualifier gets settled on Saturday.
Slides & Rides
RIT can't be feeling great about its NCAA aspirations, but the team may not be completely out of the running. Despite falling in the semifinals of the Empire 8 tourney, the Tigers do hold key wins over Stevens Tech and Washington College, which may prove pivotal in a Pool C chase. It will all depend on possible upsets in other conferences. You have to figure Ithaca, Tufts/Wesleyan and a second ODAC are in, so if the rest of the tourneys play out as expected, there may be life for RIT...Speaking of former Top 10 teams on the outside look in, Stevens head coach Byron Collins might have nightmares this offseason, primarily because the Ducks likely squandered a chance at the NCAAs by losing to Merchant Marine in the Skyline finals. But with their impending move to the E-8, it will be the smoothest path to the tourney for quite some time...A big congratulations to those Mariners of Merchant Marine. Tom Gill's troops quietly went 13-3 and rebounded from an eight-goal loss to Stevens during the regular season with a 12-11 win. The Scoop will try to catch up with the USMMA squad next week...A tip of the cap also to Joe Romano and his Notre Dame de Namur team. The Argos finished 11-3, including a one-goal loss to No. 3 NYIT and a 12-4 setback to No. 1 Mercyhurst.
Have an idea for the Small College Scoop? Email Jac Coyne.
