P.T. Ricci will be in an unusual position Saturday when Towson (1-4) visits No. 11 Loyola (4-2) at Ridley Athletic Complex. Ricci, who wrapped up a four-year career for the Greyhounds as a long-stick midfielder with a senior season that included a nation-leading 51 caused turnovers and a team-best 91 groundballs, is now a volunteer assistant coach for the Tigers.
"I'm pretty excited, especially about going to the new field," Ricci said. "I don't think it has fully hit me yet, but once I step out onto the field on Saturday and hear the first whistle blow, it'll probably be a little weird for me, but I definitely want our team to go out there and win. I'm a competitor and I don't like to lose. This is a big game for Towson."
Ricci did acknowledge that it will feel strange to stand on the opponents' sideline at Loyola.
"It'll definitely be weird looking over and seeing that Loyola uniform that I was in just a few months ago, and I'm in the black and gold of Towson," he said. "I've talked to a bunch of people from Loyola, and I know I'm probably going to be hassled a lot throughout the game, but it'll be fun, I think."
Greyhounds coach Charley Toomey sounded pleased that he won't have to see Ricci, who earned honorable mention All-American honors and the Eastern College Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year award last spring, on the field.
"In his heart, I know he's a Greyhound, but he's in for Towson," Toomey said. "I know he's going to want to get Towson in position to win that game, but he's just another coach when it comes to Saturday. He'll be an alum at 3 o'clock, and I look forward to shaking his hand."
Making the move from player to coach hasn't been easy for Ricci, who played for the Washington Bayhawks with Tigers associate head coach and defensive coordinator Shawn Nadelen. What had been instinctive then has to now be articulated by Ricci, who is working with the team's long-stick midfielders and short-stick defensive midfielders.
"I'd say the biggest transition so far is figuring out how to word the things that I already know how to do," he said. "[Greyhounds] Coach [Matt] Dwan was really good with me, and he could explain everything really well. When I was on the field, I could just react. I wouldn't necessarily know how to explain it properly, but the biggest thing for me now is being able to channel what I know into words that the players will understand."
Towson coach Tony Seaman said the program is "very, very lucky" to have Ricci on its staff.
"He's really starting to become a very important part of our staff," Seaman said. "His input is excellent. I think he's finding out how frustrating it is to be on the sideline and not be able to do anything about what's going on in the field other than to give instructions and suggestions. … For great players, that's the most frustrating part in the first five or six years of getting to the sideline."
Ricci said he has already received grief from current Loyola players like senior attackman Cooper MacDonnell and senior defenseman Steve Layne and former players like Shane Koppens and Mike Atkinson. Even Ricci's parents are taking sides.
"My parents are coming down, too, and they told me they're rooting for Loyola," he said. "They told me they're coming down in their green and gray."