Here is the sixth installment of a series taking a look at each of the eight Division III programs in the state, according to their order of finish from last season. This is Stevenson's turn.
Overview: For only the second time in the past six years, the Mustangs were denied a trip to the Final Four of the NCAA Division III tournament, suffering a 12-11 loss to Washington College at Mustang Stadium. The setback was an abrupt reminder of the difficulty of earning the national championship that the program had captured two seasons ago. But Stevenson went 19-3 last spring and lost those three games by a total of four goals to 2014 national runner-up Salisbury, 2013 national runner-up Rochester Institute of Technology and Washington College. So there's plenty of reason to believe that the team could regain its footing in the conversation for a NCAA crown.
Reason for optimism: When coach Paul Cantabene said the Mustangs want to run three midfield lines, he's not joking.
The first line would consist of senior Tony Rossi (36 goals and 22 assists), junior Matt Tompkins (12, 3 in 2013 before missing most of last season with a back injury) and sophomore Kyle D'Onofrio (6, 3).
Seniors Colin Dabney (39, 8) and Billy Burgoyne (35, 5) and junior Morgan Pritchett (sat out 2014 with unspecified injury) are poised to man the second unit. And the third line would be composed of seniors Sam Wyatt (11, 1) and Salisbury transfer Alex Nieves and junior Alex Hardwick (8, 1).
Dabney and Burgoyne would be starters elsewhere, but Cantabene said he prefers to distribute the scoring.
"We've got to mix them up," he said. "We're trying to get really good balance in our midfielders. We don't want there to be one big pileup in the midfield. We're trying to spread out our talent in the midfield, and if we can get three really solid midfields, that's going to put a lot of pressure on the defense because you can never rest."
Reason for pessimism: The defense lost three starters, but one was unexpected.
Starting goalkeeper Dimitri Pecunes elected to transfer to South Carolina rather than return for his junior season. Pecunes, a Baltimore resident and Calvert Hall graduate, had backstopped Stevenson's run to the national title and was solid again last year.
Pecunes' decision was surprising, but Cantabene said no one is holding it against him.
"Dimitri had to make a choice, and we've got to respect that, and we do," Cantabene said. "He's a great kid, and he's finding a good home down in South Carolina. But we think we've got two guys that playing really well. [Junior] Connor Skeen is a kid who was a backup to Dimitri. And then we brought in a kid from [Community College of Baltimore County] Essex named [junior] Ben Richards, and Ben's done a great job.
"He's competed, and so I think Ben's going to get the start against York [on Saturday]. He's been pretty good, pretty consistent. He's capable of making a lot of big saves, and he's got a really good outlet, and we think he's going to be more consistent with outside shots. So we're pretty excited about the depth we have at the goalkeeper position. Ben's going to start and we'll see how it goes from there."
Keep an eye on: Graduating a first-team All-American defenseman in Kyle Holechek (70 ground balls and 49 caused turnovers) is not an easy hole to fill.
But the defense does return two starting defensemen in senior Callum Robinson, who was selected by the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the fourth round of last month's Major League Lacrosse draft after picking up 74 ground balls and 36 caused turnovers, and junior Chad Williams (27 GB, 19 CT).
The third spot will be filled by senior Taylor Morgan, a Maryland transfer who Cantabene said is making a smooth transition from his usual long-stick midfielder spot.
"He's kind of like a Holechek-type guy," Cantabene said. "He's going to be a really good fit for us with Chad Williams and Callum."
What he said: Last season, Stevenson had four players with 20 or more assists, but two – attackman Chris Dashiell (43 assists) and midfielder Glen Tompkins (21) – have graduated.
Junior attackman Stephen Banick posted 33 assists and Rossi finished with 22, but Cantabene said it will be imperative for the offensive players to find a way to share the ball and look for teammates who are open or have higher-percentage opportunities.
"I think these guys understand what kind of happened last year a little bit," he said. "I think at times, we got a little selfish with the ball, and that's what cost us. You can't complain when you go 19-3 and you lost those three games by four goals and then say, 'Maybe we're a little selfish on offense.' But I thought we were a little bit and I think our chemistry on offense wasn't the same as years before.
"I think these guys understand. They're doing a really good job of sharing the ball and moving the ball. If they draw a slide, the next guy can score. So I don't think they're looking for one-on-ones. We're looking to get the best shot possible and they've done a great job of playing together in order for that to happen."