With just two games to go until playoffs, take a minute to reflect on what has been a great season for the men's lacrosse team
Jonas Powell, Photo Editor
Believe it or not, there are only two games left in the men’s lacrosse regular season. With the year speeding to a close before our very eyes, The Argus decided to take stock of what’s happened so far and look ahead to frame an exciting NESCAC playoff picture.
The Cardinals (8-5, 5-3 NESCAC) are currently ranked 20th nationally, with NESCAC foes Williams (19), Bates (14), Middlebury (9), Amherst (6), and Tufts (3) ranked above them.
In the NESCAC standings, Wesleyan is in fourth, trailing Amherst, Tufts, and Middlebury, but fully in position to secure a first round home game in the NESCAC playoffs.
So far this season, the Cards have stuck with nearly all opposition. Their only bad loss came against then top-ranked Tufts, 15-9, but even that game was close until the final quarter.
Besides Tufts, Middlebury and Amherst were the only two NESCAC teams to conquer the Redbirds, and those games (both away) each went down to the wire, finishing 9-11 and 13-14, respectively. Coming off back-to-back conference wins, the squad should fear no one as they march toward the playoffs.
This deep team has gotten excellent production from all over the place, but certain individuals have made especially large impacts. Captain Matt Prezioso ’15 passed the 100 goal mark this season and leads the team in points with 45, off of 29 goals and 16 assists. First-year phenom Harry Stanton ’18 has also been a potent offensive threat, with 37 points (23G, 14A).
On the other side of the ball, senior captains Kevin Campbell and Mikhiel Tareen anchor a young Cardinal defense, while Justin Schick ’15 continues to be a stalwart between the pipes. Tareen has missed the last few games with a knee injury, but the squad hopes that he will be back at the helm of the defense in a flash.
We also caught up with Captain Nate Ryan ’15 (22P, 15G, 7A) fresh off his dominant, four-goal performance versus Williams last Saturday. The speedy, potent attackman filled us in on both his and the team’s mindset at this late juncture in the season.
The Argus: The season is flying by. How do you guys think it has gone so far?
Nate Ryan: I think we’ve had a great season so far. A couple of the tip, borderline games that we thought we should have won, we’ve played really well in but come out on the losing side. That said, we’ve been a resilient team all year, we’ve been fighting back, and we feel good about the rest of the season.
A: You put on a show against Williams. How big was that game for the team and what was it like to play such a vital part?
NR: It definitely felt good to get that [win]. We went down early a couple goals, but as I said before our team’s been resilient all year. We worked together, fought back, and got that W, and you know, at any given time in any game our team is so good that anyone can step up and I just happened to be fortunate enough to be in the right positions.
A: What do you see as the biggest strength of this team?
NR: Selflessness. Everyone really wants to see everyone else succeed. We’re working for a common goal, everyone’s just in it for the team and if you had a bad game but the team won, everyone can rest their pads and be happy about the victory.
A: Can you put your finger on any weakness?
NR: We’ve been slow to start in a lot of games. I don’t know whether that be us taking a little time to figure out what the other team’s doing, what their schemes are, but we usually get it figured out by the second half and get it turned around.
A: As a veteran and a captain, what is your leadership style?
NR: As corny as it sounds, I feel like the team pretty much leads itself. Everyone’s so focused and committed and dedicated that I say what everyone’s thinking and everyone knows what we need to do and what needs to be accomplished, so really it’s easy.
A: Looking ahead to the final two games and beyond, what do you see as the team’s goal or expectation?
NR: The goal would be to win the NESCAC championship and get an NCAA bid. In terms of the rest of the season, the goal is to just win these next two games strong and put ourselves in a good position to have a home playoff game and make a run.
A: Last question. Who is your lacrosse idol?
NR: It’s actually the same as Ted Bergman [17]’s idol, [Major League Lacrosse star] Paul Rabil.