Dave H
03-09-2001, 03:01 AM
by John Boell
The event took place two years ago in May, but Doug Shanahan still gets goosebumps when he thinks about it: A record crowd of 12,292 packed Hofstra Stadium for Hofstra's NCAA quarterfinal lacrosse game against Johns Hopkins.
"I remember the stadium was full," said Shanahan, then a sophomore midfielder. "It was just a great feeling . . . and a great memory, and since are here, we'd like to get back. We have good players, and our goal is to get to the quarterfinals, and perhaps further." Hofstra, which hosts the NCAA Tournament North quarterfinal on May 19, has the players to be in Hempstead that day. However, a brutal non-conference schedule that features Loyola, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Notre Dame and Duke, isn't helping Hofstra in the early going, but it may help the Flying Dutchmen come tournament time.
"We want to continue to play teams like Hopkins, but the only way we can now is to play them in the beginning of the season," said Hofstra coach John Danowski, who has guided his squad to four NCAA appearances the past five years. "Our feeling is that playing the best teams prepares us for our conference games, and the America East Tournament." The defending America East Tournament champ Dutchmen might need to win the tournament again with an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament at stake.
"We always seem to have a little trouble finding ourselves, and our chemistry at the beginning of the year," said Shanahan, a standout at Sachem.
"It's like a big puzzle: We're all the pieces trying to fit in the right spots." Shanahan's spot is the face-off circle. The second team All-America midfielder won 181 of 282 draws (64.2 percent) which was third-best in the country last season. He added 16 goals and eight assists, and was fifth in the nation in ground balls per game (8.9).
Shanahan figures to be one of the Dutch's best All-America candidates and looks to follow long-stick midfielder Brian Spallina, who graduated after being named All-America last year and is now a star with the National Lacrosse League's New York Saints; Hofstra's first All-America since 1973.
"That's something I can't control," said Shanahan, who was a first team All-America safety on the I-AA football team this season. "You have to play well and get some notoriety, but I just want to see us improve from last year." Which would mean improving upon a 14-12 first-round loss to Maryland.
Hofstra returns seven starters and 29 letter winners from a squad that went 13-3.
Danowski and Co. return the entire starting attack, including junior and leading scorer Tom Kessler (Hicksville) who had 48 goals and 13 assists, and junior Scott Dooley (19 goals, 18 assists). The Dutchmen were dealt a blow Saturday when junior attackman Joe Kostolansky injured his knee in the Loyola loss.
Kostolansky will have an MRI performed this week, but is doubtful to return this season.
That isn't the only major injury a Hofstra starter has suffered. Junior defenseman Nicky Polanco, a two-time JUCO Player of the Year at Nassau CC, injured his right knee and ankle at practice on Feb. 27. The former Oceanside star is hoping to return in time for Hofstra's America East opener at Hartford on March 31.
Stony Brook University begins its second season in the ECAC and returns seven starters from a year ago. The Seawolves will count on their starting attack, which returns intact, including Jon Tompkins (10-5), Tris Gillen (11-5) and Jesse Foss (13-16). The trio will have to compensate for the loss of Dominic D'Orazio, who graduated as Stony Brook's eighth all-time leading scorer with 75 goals and 35 assists. Stony Brook will battle the likes of Duke, Navy and UMBC in the ultra-tough ECAC.
Two of the biggest road mines in Division I are last year's finalists, defending champ Syracuse, and Princeton. Coach John Desko won his first NCAA title at Syracuse defeating Bill Tierney's young Princeton Tigers.
The Orangemen have been a fixture in the Final Four having reached the plateau 18 straight times. Syracuse has the firepower to reach its 19th with returning attackmen Mike Springer (48-20) and former Ward Melville star Liam Banks (39-27). The Orangemen graduated Player of the Year Ryan Powell, but his younger brother, Mike, will see time at either midfield or attack as a freshman. Farmingdale product and senior goalie Rob Mulligan could be the key for a squad that lost four All-America players.
Princeton returns 10 of its top 11 scorers from last year, but leading scorer and 2000 Midfielder of the Year Josh Sims graduated. Former Garden City star B.J. Prager, who missed the Tigers' final six games with a torn ACL, returns to lead a deep, talented squad that will battle the likes of Virginia, Maryland, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Loyola, Duke, Notre Dame and UMass, which should all be contenders come May.
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Dave H
The event took place two years ago in May, but Doug Shanahan still gets goosebumps when he thinks about it: A record crowd of 12,292 packed Hofstra Stadium for Hofstra's NCAA quarterfinal lacrosse game against Johns Hopkins.
"I remember the stadium was full," said Shanahan, then a sophomore midfielder. "It was just a great feeling . . . and a great memory, and since are here, we'd like to get back. We have good players, and our goal is to get to the quarterfinals, and perhaps further." Hofstra, which hosts the NCAA Tournament North quarterfinal on May 19, has the players to be in Hempstead that day. However, a brutal non-conference schedule that features Loyola, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Notre Dame and Duke, isn't helping Hofstra in the early going, but it may help the Flying Dutchmen come tournament time.
"We want to continue to play teams like Hopkins, but the only way we can now is to play them in the beginning of the season," said Hofstra coach John Danowski, who has guided his squad to four NCAA appearances the past five years. "Our feeling is that playing the best teams prepares us for our conference games, and the America East Tournament." The defending America East Tournament champ Dutchmen might need to win the tournament again with an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament at stake.
"We always seem to have a little trouble finding ourselves, and our chemistry at the beginning of the year," said Shanahan, a standout at Sachem.
"It's like a big puzzle: We're all the pieces trying to fit in the right spots." Shanahan's spot is the face-off circle. The second team All-America midfielder won 181 of 282 draws (64.2 percent) which was third-best in the country last season. He added 16 goals and eight assists, and was fifth in the nation in ground balls per game (8.9).
Shanahan figures to be one of the Dutch's best All-America candidates and looks to follow long-stick midfielder Brian Spallina, who graduated after being named All-America last year and is now a star with the National Lacrosse League's New York Saints; Hofstra's first All-America since 1973.
"That's something I can't control," said Shanahan, who was a first team All-America safety on the I-AA football team this season. "You have to play well and get some notoriety, but I just want to see us improve from last year." Which would mean improving upon a 14-12 first-round loss to Maryland.
Hofstra returns seven starters and 29 letter winners from a squad that went 13-3.
Danowski and Co. return the entire starting attack, including junior and leading scorer Tom Kessler (Hicksville) who had 48 goals and 13 assists, and junior Scott Dooley (19 goals, 18 assists). The Dutchmen were dealt a blow Saturday when junior attackman Joe Kostolansky injured his knee in the Loyola loss.
Kostolansky will have an MRI performed this week, but is doubtful to return this season.
That isn't the only major injury a Hofstra starter has suffered. Junior defenseman Nicky Polanco, a two-time JUCO Player of the Year at Nassau CC, injured his right knee and ankle at practice on Feb. 27. The former Oceanside star is hoping to return in time for Hofstra's America East opener at Hartford on March 31.
Stony Brook University begins its second season in the ECAC and returns seven starters from a year ago. The Seawolves will count on their starting attack, which returns intact, including Jon Tompkins (10-5), Tris Gillen (11-5) and Jesse Foss (13-16). The trio will have to compensate for the loss of Dominic D'Orazio, who graduated as Stony Brook's eighth all-time leading scorer with 75 goals and 35 assists. Stony Brook will battle the likes of Duke, Navy and UMBC in the ultra-tough ECAC.
Two of the biggest road mines in Division I are last year's finalists, defending champ Syracuse, and Princeton. Coach John Desko won his first NCAA title at Syracuse defeating Bill Tierney's young Princeton Tigers.
The Orangemen have been a fixture in the Final Four having reached the plateau 18 straight times. Syracuse has the firepower to reach its 19th with returning attackmen Mike Springer (48-20) and former Ward Melville star Liam Banks (39-27). The Orangemen graduated Player of the Year Ryan Powell, but his younger brother, Mike, will see time at either midfield or attack as a freshman. Farmingdale product and senior goalie Rob Mulligan could be the key for a squad that lost four All-America players.
Princeton returns 10 of its top 11 scorers from last year, but leading scorer and 2000 Midfielder of the Year Josh Sims graduated. Former Garden City star B.J. Prager, who missed the Tigers' final six games with a torn ACL, returns to lead a deep, talented squad that will battle the likes of Virginia, Maryland, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Loyola, Duke, Notre Dame and UMass, which should all be contenders come May.
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Dave H