COLLEGE PREVIEW 2013 NCAA DIVISION II MEN TOP 10 DOWLING
2012 RECORD: 13-2 (9-1 ECC) COACH: TIM BOYLE (13TH YEAR)
GOLDEN LIONS 1
Dowling knew it would have a target on its back after winning its fi rst NCAA championship. The Golden Lions just didn’t think it would manifest four months before the start of the 2013 season, as a meaningless fall scrimmage against
a start-up Division III team ended. “When that whistle blew at the end of the game, it was like they won the national championship,” Dowling coach Tim Boyle said. The opposing players jumped into a pile and their website boasted of a one-goal “win” over the Division II champs. Welcome to the new reality. But Boyle said that kind of showmanship could be good for a Dowling team that must replace a 13-man senior class. “We didn’t win a fall game other than our alumni game, but
that’s OK by me,” Boyle said. “These kids have to learn, and what better way to learn than when it doesn’t count.” Finding the right chemistry for another title run was the
primary goal as fall ball started, and then Hurricane Sandy struck, submerging one of Dowling’s campuses and canceling school for two weeks.
Feb 23 at Limestone Mar 3 Saint Rose Mar 7 Southern N.H. Mar 9 Assumption Mar 16 Tampa Mar 23 Mercy Mar 27 at Roberts Wesleyan Mar 30 Dominican (N.Y.) Apr 6 at Mercyhurst Apr 10 at Molloy Apr 20 LIU Post Apr 27 at Chestnut Hill May 4 at NYIT
“As a coach, you start thinking you lost two weeks of training, and I got caught up in that for a little bit,” Boyle said. “And then I said to myself, ‘This is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.’” Instead of practicing on Fridays, Dowling went out to different parts of Long Island to
aid in the recovery. Not wanting to revel when so many people were hurting, the players pushed back their ring ceremony until Jan. 24 while continuing their community service. “We did what we could,” Boyle said. The off-fi eld duties might pay dividends in May. Boyle readily admitted the 2012 team was not the most talented in the country, but its cohesiveness allowed Dowling to do things about which even its coach was skeptical. “The players on last year’s team taught me a lot,” Boyle said. Helping get Long Island back on its feet could be the bonding agent necessary to get back to that stage. The talent certainly is there, with Billy Richardson and Mike Brennan returning on attack and the close defense nearly intact. Faceoff man Louis Riley, the key player in the Lions’ postseason run, also returns. Yes, there are holes. Two inexperienced goalies are vying to replace four-year starter Ryan Dougherty, and Boyle needs to address the lack of depth in the midfi eld.
The Lions will be in the hunt for a repeat, especially with an expanded NCAA tournament fi eld of eight teams. Boyle said it’s time to move on from 2012. But even if they want to put last season behind them, every opponent on the schedule will remember it. That’s the plight of a champion.
— Jac Coyne 50 LACROSSE MAGAZINE February 2013 >>
Louis Riley
RIVAL COACHES SAY “Onondaga transfer Matt Crough is the real deal. They need a focal point on attack to complement Richardson…Lou Riley is a tough kid. What he does on the fi eld speaks for itself… Will the kids fi lling in this year provide that sturdy leadership that last year’s seniors did?”
TOP RETURNER FO Louis Riley (Sr.) Without Riley, Dowling doesn’t win the NCAA title. This year, the nation’s premier faceoff specialist will meet a different challenge. He’ll be called on to be a possession machine while the Golden Lions break in a couple of new offensive players and an inexperienced goalie. “It all starts with him,” Boyle said.
X-FACTOR G Lance Swan (So.) With the graduation of Ryan Dougherty, a four-year starter, there’s a serious void in the cage. Swan — who played all of nine minutes last year — and Onondaga transfer Myles Harvey will vie for the job. Neither has Dougherty’s presence.
TELLING NUMBER 0
PROJECTED STARTERS
A Michael Brennan (Sr.)* G: 27 A: 5
A Billy Richardson (Sr.)* G: 16 A: 19
A Matt Crough (Jr.) G: 89 A: 29 (at Onondaga in 2010)
M Tom Cleary (So.)* G: 21 A: 1
M Kyle Sopko (Sr.)* G: 8 A: 5 M Brian White (Fr.)
G: 45 A: 53 (at Bayport-Blue Point High)
FO Louis Riley (Sr.)* FO%: 64.9 GB: 137
LSM Sheldon Burns (Jr.)* GB: 20 CT: 14
D Brian Michalec (So.)* GB: 7 CT: 2
D Derek Muzio (Jr.)* GB: 46 CT: 20
D Frank Ioconetti (So.) GB: 13 CT: 4
G Lance Swan (So.) GAA: 19.96 SV%: 80.0 * returning starters
Number of Dowling players named USILA first-team All- American in 2012 — the first time a Division II national champion has been shut out entirely from that honor.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
©BILL DANIELEWSKI (LR); ©DOWLING (MC)
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