April 18, 2008
by Mark Medina, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
Le Moyne women's lacrosse coach Lauren O'Connor spent last June in Atlanta working a lacrosse camp when she felt blindsided. First she heard a voicemail from a local reporter and then from Dolphins baseball coach Steve Owens with the same news.
Le Moyne was out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, effective immediately.
On June 14, the MAAC changed its bylaws to state that all conference members must have all its sports compete in Division I. Le Moyne's 14 other sports compete in Division II, leaving programs like Le Moyne's baseball and women's lacrosse teams, both of which play up in Division I, without an identity.
That backdrop has overshadowed an otherwise successful 11-4 season, including a current eight-game winning streak, largely because the Dolphins' strength of schedule does little to help grant them an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Without a conference affiliation, Le Moyne can no longer rely on automatic qualifiers for a tournament berth, either.
The Dolphins visit MAAC frontrunner Fairfield at 7 tonight - a match-up that historically pitted two conference rivals against each other. Instead, Le Moyne must face the Stags (14-1) with solely pride on its sleeve.
"They're motivated to beat MAAC teams, but at the same time, I see them winding down," O'Connor said. "They know the end is Sunday (against Marist) and they know it's our last game. They don't talk about getting kicked out, but they're still in shock that they'll be done April 20."
Meanwhile, the Stags have already clinched the top seed in the MAAC tournament (April 25-27 at Iona College) and the outright regular season crown thanks to 14 straight victories after a season-opening, one-goal loss to No. 14 Yale.
Fairfield has notched at least one conference player-of-the-week award in each of the seven weeks it has played a game this year. Among the latest highlights: Goalie Lauren Chatnik and attacker Erin Rugby were named the MAAC's defensive and offensive players of the week, respectively, for the second time this season, while attacker Kristen Colemen earned her third rookie of the week nod.
Fairfield, with the nation's longest winning streak outside Northwestern, does not want to slow down, despite the comfort of knowing its postseason fate. Case in point: Fairfield lost in the semifinals of last year's MAAC tournament as the No. 2 seed.
"We're proud we could accomplish that early, but it doesn't change our mentality," said Fairfield defender Mary Vallely, the 2007 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. "We want to come out strong and win so we can prepare for the MAAC tournament."
So far, the preparation has paid off thanks to a mantra Fairfield head coach Beth Loffredo instilled in her team. "Respect all and fear no one" is the guideline that resonates an attitude of not taking an opponent lightly, while still having confidence to win. A bond forged by constant team dinners and the same weekly routine - including one practice devoted solely to the upcoming opponent - has kept the Stags sharp despite a rigorous schedule.
Fairfield has played three games in a week five times this year.
"Everything from playing the game to us hanging out off the field has impacted our winning streak," said Coleman, who leads the Stags with 53 goals and 18 assists.
The Stags boast seven players scoring in double figures this year and have won four games decided by two or fewer goals. Loffredo doesn't think that would have happened last year.
"It probably has a lot to do with us learning how to win and keeping a win," Loffredo said. "There were a few times where we could've thrown it away. But they did a good job in the end, sticking it out and realizing what it takes to win."
Despite a 5-0 conference record, Fairfield sees tonight's match-up as a barometer in its MAAC standing. After all, Le Moyne did compile five conference tournament berths, a two-year conference unbeaten streak, three conference titles, three regular season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances during its MAAC tenure.
The Dolphins, who return 10 starters from last year and eight seniors, have carried the same mentality anytime they play a MAAC team. Le Moyne has beaten MAAC opponents by double digits in four of its five games.
"The fact we play MAAC teams is pumping us up," said Le Moyne goalie Samantha Falcone, who allows 8.24 goals a game with a .578 save percentage. "We want to kill MAAC teams."
So far, so good, thanks to six different players scoring in double figures. The same can't be said for the other four losses that players attributed to lack of team chemistry. With just one game against an opponent currently ranked (Stanford, a 14-6 loss in its season-opener) on Le Moyne's schedule this year, O'Connor plans to boost its strength of schedule for the future.
However, the team is in flux.
Affiliations with the Patriot League, America East, the Northeast Conference and the Atlantic 10 are possibilities. But O'Connor said nothing is certain. Le Moyne athletic director Matt Bassett was on vacation this week and unavailable for comment. MAAC commissioner Richard Ensor did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.
"It'd be a stretch to assume we'd be somewhere next year or in 2009," O'Connor said. "I'm trying to raise the strength of schedule by adding stronger opponents. We want to compete at the top and stay in Division I. We might not play in the postseason, but the way I see it, they were recruited as Division I athletes and think of themselves as Division I athletes."
Le Moyne has the same schedule as if it were a MAAC team. But without a conference affiliation and an AQ, the Dolphins can vent their frustration as best as they can during their final weekend of lacrosse.
"We always had a postseason, and we never knew when our last game was," said senior attacker Whitney Vecchio, who leads the Dolphins with 48 goals and 26 assists. "To know when your last game is is very frustrating. I was not happy with what happened, but we're so motivated right now."
