The Stags’ men’s lacrosse team may have only one loss on the season, but that one loss has changed the entire outlook on the rest of the season.
The schedule does not get any easier for the Stags and they could easily lose three or four of the next five games.
The season is not a disappointment at all, but with a win over Penn State, Fairfield could have secured its spot as the best lacrosse team in school history.
The pressure is on Fairfield now as the schedule hits its toughest stretch of the year.
The Stags know that they will need to beat Hobart heading into tough games against Georgetown and North Carolina.
While Fairfield should have defeated Penn State, it had the always-difficult task of facing the Nittany Lions’ goalkeeper, Drew Adams ’09, one of the top goalies in the ECAC.
Not only did Fairfield have to face Adams, but the game was also played on Penn State’s indoor practice field because of the weather.
This Fairfield team may be the most talented in history, but how they are remembered will depend on what they do in the postseason.
If Fairfield can pull out big wins against Hobart, Georgetown and Loyola, they will be in position to finish first in the ECAC and make the NCAA tournament automatically.
The Hobart game will be key to the rest of the season. With a loss, the momentum they built with their first five wins will be all but gone.
But with a win, the Stags will be back on track heading into the game against the Hoyas. Beating Hobart and then Georgetown should secure the Stags a place at the top of the ECAC standings.
All Fairfield likely has to do to get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament is finish in the top three in the ECAC. If they get that far, they have the ability to become a surprising team. With their fast start the Stags caught the attention of the entire lacrosse world and earned the highest ranking in school history at 11th in the nation.
After the loss to Penn State, the Stags dropped to 17th, but the talent is still there.
Mike Bocklet `07 saved his best season for last and has earned national honors for his success. Bocklet has 17 goals and 24 points already this season. His 4.5 points per game is the third best in the country.
He was named to the Tewaarton Award watch list, the top award for lacrosse in the nation, joining teammate Greg Downing `07 on the list.
Fairfield lacrosse has earned its spot among the top programs in the country.
The teams that the Stags played early in the year may not have been the best in the country, but they are not awful either.
Bucknell is ranked 16th in the nation, one spot ahead of Fairfield. The Stags beat the Bisons, who were then ranked 11th in the nation, and also beat Providence – something they failed to do last year.
The loss against Penn State and the amount of goals that they gave up against Harvard hurt, but they have looked very impressive for most of the year.
The Stags have a lot of talent beyond their terrific senior class, in players like Travis Nelson `08, who was named the NEILA offensive player of the week last week and freshman Kevin Peters, one of the top high school lacrosse players in Connecticut two seasons ago.
The Stags are on their way to being great, but the stumble against Penn State has slowed that process.
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