Photo courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
By: Morey Hershgordon
On the final day of the 2015 MAAC men’s lacrosse season, the Marist Red Foxes used an early scoring attack and poise on defense down the stretch to fend off a valiant Quinnipiac comeback bid in the championship game. The hosts jumped out to a 9-1 lead midway through the second quarter, and held on 16-14, to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
One year later, led by newly minted MAAC Coach of the Year Eric Fekete, the Quinnipiac Bobcats are back for revenge. Everything remains the same, except his bunch doesn’t have to travel. A perfect 6-0 in the MAAC regular season, the Bobcats earned themselves home-field advantage for the playoffs.
What you need to know:
Matchup:
No. 1 seed Quinnipiac (10-3, 7-0 MAAC) vs. No. 2 seed Marist (9-6, 5-2) Saturday May 7 at Noon.
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Regular Season:
Marist took a 5-1 lead into the fourth quarter and led by one goal in the final minute. With three seconds left, Quinnipiac’s Ryan Keenan tied the game at seven. In overtime, Bobcats forward Anthony Carchietta scored the game winning goal with one second left.
What you want to know:
Scoring leaders:
QU: Ryan Keenan 29G/13A; 42P) Brian Feldman (31G/4A; 35P) Foster Cuomo (15P/11A, 26P)
MAR: Joe Radin (48G/7A; 55P) JD Recor (25G/26A; 51P) Gannon Morrison (21G, 24A; 45P)
Ground balls:
QU: First in the MAAC (29 per game)
MAR: Last in the MAAC (21.33 per game)
Face-offs won:
QU: First in the MAAC (52.6%; 150/285)
MAR: Last in the MAAC (31.4%; 100/318)
Q30 Sports spoke with Fekete and some of his star players prior to the championship game:
The importance of possession in any game, let alone a rematch championship game:
Adam Bellamy: “It’s huge. Every possession you get means another offensive possession you get. The more groundballs you get, means the more shots you get, means the more goals you get. Less goals they get.”
You’re undefeated in the MAAC. Your thoughts on the year to date?
Fekete: “It’s been a great year. I love the team. The guys have been great all season. They’ve never let me down. I think there’s a lot of love for each other in the group. They play hard for each other. We’ve come a long way since the scrimmages at the beginning of the year. This is the team that has improved the most from start to finish in any of the teams I’ve had here. And they’ve stayed focused all the way through the MAAC. I believe they have what it takes to get the job done.”
What will be the X-factor for your team tomorrow?
Fekete: “If we keep our head straight we don’t make mistakes. When you get to the playoffs it becomes a game of inches not a game of miles and you’ve got to make good decisions in the game you’ve got to keep a clear head. You don’t want to give anything away. As long as we play close to perfect we’ll be fine.”
Does anything change for a championship game?
Fekete: “We’ve really focused this year on just worrying about us. Getting ready for the opponent but not getting too hung up on who we’re playing. I think we’ll stick with that mode. We just have to play the game the best we can.”
Is the 2016 Quinnipiac Men’s Lacrosse team the best team in program history if they get the job done on Saturday?
Fekete: “Yes. Easiest team that I’ve ever had to coach. It’s a great group of guys and it would be a great accomplishment for them.”
Both the team in 2001 and 2016 finished the MAAC undefeated. But, in your mind, what’s the difference with this year’s bunch?
Fekete: “2001 was a very senior laden team. Right now, we’re rolling with only 12 upperclassmen. This group has been so coachable all year. The sophomore group has grown up a lot from last year. And it’s funny, everything really came together for this group. The recipe was right for us, and we just tried to perpetuate it on.”
You could find yourself in the national polls with a win, how exciting is it to think about that?
Fekete: “Well to be 10-3 is great right now. I think those are all byproducts of great players and a great season. It’ll be great for us. I’m really excited for the guys. This is day 131 out of 132. They’ve worked hard all year. Every time you win something, it’s just another accoutrement to what you’ve done. I’m very proud of them, they deserve everything they get.”
Marist leads the MAAC in shooting percentage, how do game plan against one of the nation’s best offenses?
Brust: “Take it one stop at a time and do the best you can. I think the (defense) is going to do a great job. Maybe I’ll try to steal a couple that I probably shouldn’t. We’ll just take it one stop at a time and see what happens.”
Last year you had 19 saves in the championship game, has that performance been in the back of your mind?
Brust: “I try not to think about the past too much. Like I said, I just try to do the best that I can personally (do) to put my team in position to win. If 19 saves are what does it, than 19 saves is what does it. So no, I don’t think (last year’s championship game performance) is in my mind too much, I’m just focused on winning tomorrow.”
What are you most excited about the championship?
Brust: “Winning. I think it’s been a pretty good battle the last years. And it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out, but we’ll work hard and finish the goal.”
What’s the Legacy of Class of 2016?
Lawlor: “I think we started out and we had a rocky season our sophomore year, we didn’t make the playoffs. Last year we had a really great group of guys, went undefeated in April and we lost in a disappointing fashion in the championship. Hopefully, if we play 60 minutes tomorrow, our legacy will be champions.”
What has Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse program meant to you?
Lawlor: “It’s meant everything. It’s my family. It’s my home away from home. These guys will be brothers with me for life.”
The importance of winning tomorrow not only for your team, but for the Class of 2015 and everyone before you to help get you to reach this point.
Keenan: “They’ve been supporting us the whole way. It’s pretty awesome. We’re close to those guys. A lot of them will be here tomorrow cheering us on. I’ll be special to get it done for them and all the alumni that have come before us.”
What’s the message to the younger guys?
Keenan: “Stay confident. Stick to what we’ve been doing. Guys like Foster had a really big game yesterday and there’s no reason to change anything that we’re dong. We’ve all played in big games in our life and this is no different. It’s just a bigger stage and if we believe in ourselves we’ll be the better team and get the job done.”
Can you put into words what it would mean to see Quinnipiac’s name on the television screen Sunday night during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show?
Keenan: “That’d be pretty cool. It’s something that’s never been done here and to be that senior class to do it would be pretty special. It’s in the back of our mind but we’re focused on our game plan, getting the job done and bringing everything we have for tomorrow.”
Have you had time to reflect on your semifinal appearance?
Foster Cuomo: “Last time we played Canisius, Brian Feldman had 7 goals and Keenan had a huge game. So it kind of freed up a little space for me because they were keyed on. I was able to find some seams and get open and put the ball in the net.”
What makes your offense so lethal?
Cuomo: “We’ve got all those guys, Brian Feldman, Ryan Keenan, Connor Meth, Anthony Carchietta, Drew D’Antonio down low. Anyone can go off on any given time which makes it pretty special because you can’t lock off everyone.”
What have the seniors meant to you and your freshman class?
Cuomo: “So much. Just playing under guys like Connor Meth, Ryan Keenan, they’re great players They being a lot to the team and lot that I can learn from. Their style of play and just to be able to come in freshman year and start and play with them. I’m not trying to do to much. It’s their team. I try to take everything with a grain of salt and just learn as much as I can in my freshman year.”
