Ryan Chell
Staff Reporter
It’s always nice to be able to start your season out on a good note.
And that is exactly what has happened to the 2009 McDaniel Men’s Lacrosse Team, as they are off to a 5-2 start before they begin their Centennial Conference schedule in the next several weeks.
The team jumped out to a 3-0 record with wins over Moravian back in February (where they scored a team-record 19 goals), Widener (10-7 win), and Virginia Wesleyan, in which the squad scored 18 goals. They faced their first big test of the season back on March 21st as they went up against the 9th ranked team in the country in DIII lacrosse in the Washington Shoreman. The Terror fought hard, but dropped their eighth consecutive contest against their opponent, as they lost a heartbreaker in overtime, 9-8.
But despite the loss, there is a lot of confidence on this squad at this point in the season.
“I would say that having 5 wins at this point in the season is a heck of a lot better than having five wins at the end of the season like we did last year,” coach Matt Hatton said. “The hope and plan would be to continue to keep it rolling and get back on track [against Ursinus].”
The formula to their success so far, at least in the box score has been their offense. The Terror have outscored their opponents 82-47, and have averaged almost 12 goals per contest . They connect on almost 35 percent of their shots, and convert their advantages, as they score of 58 percent of those opportunities.
Junior attack Gibbs Preston leads the team in goals with 19, as well as assists with 12. Mike Hatton, Matt’s brother, is right there with his fellow teammate (15g, 10a), as he and DJ Rickels( 10g, 3a) are the other players on the Terror in double-figures.
While Hatton likes the play of his team on the field, he also is impressed with the way they carry themselves in practice and the leadership his upperclassmen bring to the team day in and day out.
“I think that we have been fortunate at this point to have some senior leadership from our seniors and upperclassmen. Leadership, both on and off the field, has been our Achilles Heel during my tenure here at McDaniel and I hope that we are turning the corner with that now,” Hatton replied.
Another added bonus for Hatton has been the ability to coach and see his brother, not only play, but play well.
“We are very close,” the coach said. “Taking a step back from my coaching responsibilities, I am really enjoying watching Mike succeed and have fun out there on the field.
Starting with Saturday’s contest against Ursinus, the Terror will have 7 of their final 8 games against Centennial Conference opponents, with four of them coming on the road. This is where the real test begins to see how good this squad really can be, Hatton thinks.
“I certainly hope that we are more prepared for our CC games this year than we have in year’s past. Our conference is brutal, but anyone can beat anyone whenever they play.”
“The truth of the matter is that we are 0-1 in conference play and we really need to get going. Saturday is a perfect opportunity for us to get back out there and compete.”