Monday's entry is the fifth installment of a week-long series taking a look at each of the eight Division III programs in this state according to their order of finish from last season. The Sun's lacrosse preview is slated to be published on Friday, Feb. 17. This is Washington's turn.
Overview: After going 4-10 in 2010, the Shoremen improved just one game in the win and loss columns last season, finishing 5-9. The team knows that record could have been much better if not for four one-goal losses and one two-goal setback. For second-year coach Jeff Shirk, the seeds of growth are there, but how long it will take for that development to occur is anybody's guess at this point.
Reason for optimism: The defense surrendered an average of 10 goals per game last year. Not exactly a stunning number, but that unit does return all three starting defensemen in seniors Bryan Botti (29 groundballs and 12 caused turnovers) and Jack Vermeil (18, 8) and junior Michael Pierandri (25, 15), the starting goalie in senior Peter Stewart (9.61 goals-against average and .587 save percentage), the starting long-stick midfielder in junior Jonny Poe (34, 18) and three short-stick defensive midfielders in seniors Michael Pancottine (17 groundballs), David Lundquist (15) and Morgan Braendel (14). "I definitely think we've got some guys with some great experience down there," Shirk said. "We definitely have a lot of leadership down there. … So it's one of those things where I definitely think the defense should really help us because of their experience."
Reason for pessimism: The inability to consistently win faceoffs was alarming for Shirk, a faceoff specialist at Maryland during his college days. A unit that succeeded just 39.1 percent of the time (116-of-297) last season welcomed the arrival of three freshmen – Michael Trapp, Ray Circo and Zack Piern – who could complement senior Stephen Evans. "We won 71 percent in our fall ball scrimmages," Shirk noted. "I think we're moving in the right direction to correcting that aspect of the game, but I think that's one of the parts that really hurt us last year and that we need to improve on the most. I'm encouraged that we did, but I would say that's my biggest concern right now."
Keep an eye on: The offense averaged just 7.9 goals in 2011, but all is not lost. All three starting attackmen in juniors Bennett Cord (19 goals and eight assists) and Matt Lewis (10, 4) and sophomore Jim Cusick (16, 3) are back, and Shirk is hoping their chemistry continues to evolve. "There's a huge comfort, and the three kids are just great kids," he said. "It's a comfort that they're leaders because they work hard and they have a chip on their shoulder. I think they're all very talented, and they only get better every day because of their work ethic."
What he said: Shirk is painfully cognizant of the program's history, which includes 28 NCAA Tournament appearances and a national title in 1998. But Shirk cautions against expecting too much so quickly. "There's great things about having a program with a lot of history, but then there's also obstacles, and one of those obstacles is that sometimes guys focus more on, 'We've got to compete for a Centennial Conference championship,' or 'We've got to get back to the [NCAA] Tournament.' You look big picture instead of concentrating on the smaller picture," he said. "So we've really stressed to the guys that we're going to fight this thing in small battles. So the mentality coming in was we want everybody to beat the run test. And then it was we want to get through the first eight days of practice and get better every day and work really hard. … I've really tried to break it down into small battles and tried to get guys to stop looking at that big picture."