‘Come ready to work’

Following a 4-8 season in 1996, the team’s third in the MAAC as a varsity sport, Fairfield hired a 33-year old coach to guide a fledgling men’s lacrosse program.

Nearly a decade of victories and successes has passed, yet the Stags find themselves in an eerily similar situation.

After achieving a 4-9 record this past season, the team’s third in the renowned ECAC, Fairfield has now turned to a vibrant 27-year old to guide the program to the next level.
Fairfield Athletic Director Gene Doris named Andy Copelan the new head men’s lacrosse coach on Aug. 25, the third in’ the program’s history.

‘I am extremely excited and honored to be given the opportunity to be the head coach of the lacrosse program at Fairfield,’ said Copelan in a press release shortly after the announcement.’

‘There is a strong tradition of winning at Fairfield, and I look forward to the challenge,’ Copelan added.

That challenge began this Wednesday, Copelan’s first official day on the job as a part of the team’s annual fall ball practices.

The Stags will travel to Massachusetts to participate in the annual Catamount Classic for a Cure fall ball tournament later this week, with Vermont serving as the host school.
‘Basically, my goal is just to hit the ground running with this thing,’ Copelan said, a message he sent loud and clear to his players on his first day on the job.
‘I told them come ready to work,’ Copelan said.

Vermont,’ Brown, Dartmouth, Providence and UMass are scheduled to play in the tournament.

Given the roster’s relative youth, coupled with a new head coach, progress this fall could be crucial to the team’s success come March.

The hiring of Copelan, while widely lauded by many in the lacrosse community, comes at unique time given the situation of former head coach Ted Spencer, who accepted a position as assistant athletic director in July.

The program’s decision to move in a different direction for head coach came only a few weeks after the team’s final regular-season game against St. John’s, and merely a few months after Spencer’s compelling return from cancer surgery in November of 2007.
Copelan, though, represents a shot of vitality into a team that is searching for its edge.
In addition, the Stags are currently slated to move into a recently reconfigured ECAC conference for the 2010 season.

The new alignment will include Denver and Ohio State, two teams that’ appeared in the NCAA tournament this May.’

Copelan boasts an impressive collegiate lacrosse pedigree, dating back to his days as a midfielder for Bucknell. Copelan was a four-year starter who guided the team to four straight Patriot League titles.

In terms of coaching experience, Copelan became the interim’ head coach at Marist in 2004 and experienced stunning success from the outset.

That Marist team finished the season 10-6, which included an undefeated record in conference play and an appearance in the NCAA tournament.

For the past two seasons, Copelan was an assistant coach and offensive coordinator under Dave Cottle at Maryland, one of the nation’s perennial lacrosse powerhouses.
Copelan said his variety of coaching experiences has him in a great place heading into his new job.

‘The most important thing, really, is to combine all of the experiences you have had as a coach and use that to your advantage,’ Copelan said. ‘A year as the head of the program [at Marist] was a good experience, and then my years under [Dave] Cottle at Maryland were huge.

‘Moving forward, I think all of it will be an asset,’ he said. ‘It’s put me in a pretty good position.’

Despite losing seasons in two of the team’s past three seasons, the Stags boast a young core of talent that makes this feel different from a typical rebuilding situation.
‘There is a lot of talent here ‘- no question,’ Copelan said.

Even in the face of the team’s difficulties last season and his predecessor’s legacy at Fairfield, Copelan is far from intimidated from the situation.

‘There’s always pressure; that’s just the nature of this job,’ Copelan said. ‘That’s the profession I chose.

Copelan added, ‘I understand that there is a winning tradition is here, but I’m certainly excited to put my own stamp on the program.’