Conference Previews for the 2025 Season - East Coast Conference

Intro

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Welcome, welcome, welcome. It's another episode of In the Crease with Danny and Kevin, a coast-to-coast discussion of D2 Mendal Cross. I'm your co-host, Kevin Stenstrom, and with me as always is the gift that keeps on giving Danny Moran. Hey, Danny. I thought you were going to say the gift of Gab there for a second. Well, that too. But this is so like we talked about, you know, we're doing a lot of episodes early, recording them because of my travel schedule. This episode actually comes out just prior to Christmas. It's the, you know, several days, five days before Christmas, but it's the episode before Christmas comes. So I thought I'd give you the, you know, you're kind of a gift. You're a gift to the D2 lacrosse world, Danny. Well, thank you so much. As are you, Kevin Stenstrom.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

How's everything going today?

SPEAKER_01 0:58

In my own mind. In my own mind. How's everything? It feels like we just were talking yesterday. Uh actually we were.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

It it seems like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, no, it's a busy time of year. We're trying to get these conference previews in. Um, gotten some feedback from some. Some coaches have been listening, some players have been listening. So keep the DMs coming.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

It's fun. These conference previews are fun for me to do the homework and then try to figure out, like, especially if you look compare to last year, right? And what teams had and who was going to look strong. We've already seen a few conferences where it's not the same as last year. And I think this conference,

ECC Preview

SPEAKER_01 1:41

the East Coast conference, ECC, is another one of those. What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

More of the same, yeah. You know, teams losing uh, you know, important key roles, guys that have been there three, four, five years, some of them.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

I really think, Danny, this can this be the year that we see a new conference champ? Can someone unseat Mercy? And is Frostburg going to be in the same spot they usually are? They're usually one and two.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Yeah, those are the two best in the ECC, and they have been for the last few years. Mercy's been to the uh NCAA tournament several years in a row. I went up to watch him play Le Moine and beat Le Moine that time a couple of years ago uh when Coach Levine was still there. Great day.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

And they made it to the final.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

And they made it to the final. And it was just, you know, I I know what Mercy Lacrosse is like. And Kevin, after I see what they've lost, and they lost a lot. Yeah. A lot.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

They lose a lot of offense. Five all Americans.

unknown 2:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Yeah. Greg Gibbons. DJ Hyder, Andrew Calabria, Greg Gibbons, Justin Gerdville, Tyler Piatek, and Jason Cooner, all all Americans.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Brody Casconetti in his 57 points. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

So they lose six All-Americans. I'm sorry. And Brody. And Brody wasn't even all-American with that many points.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Gibbons had 79, Calabri had 69, TJ Haider had 58. He's one of the best players in all of Division II last year, Haider. He's the finisher, man. The ball touches the his his stick for like 0.5 seconds before it's out and into the back of the net. They're going to miss his leadership.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

I think a lot of it. Yeah. You look at even like Greg Gibbons. So Greg Gibbons steps up from his brother Jack Gibbons, who left a year before, and Greg Gibbons scores 79 points. That is what Mercy is going to need. People, a bunch of people stepping up because they lose a total of 263 points, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

Yeah. They were 14 and 2 last year and 6-0 in conference. Okay. They had a one-goal loss to Adelphi and OT. Yep. Okay. And a three-goal loss to St. A's. They were the cardiac A's, yeah. They were the Cardiac kids. As usual. Kind of team that let teams back into it but found a way to win. And they did that for a couple of years in a row. And you know what? The big reason why they were able to play that way was face-off man Jason Keener. Totally agree. Because he just got them possession after possession. So they could shoot and shoot a lot and play free. And they didn't have to, they had a guy that was, you know, basically an all-American and at the face-off position, just getting them possessions.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Well, and I you add to that though, Danny, if you look across, now they lost a lot in 2024, but they had enough coming back. When they had Gerdville come back and Piatech come back, both defensive stalwarts, and then you add in the you know Heider, Calabria, yeah, Calibria, Gibbons, and and Cascinetti on offense. I mean, there wasn't a weak spot anywhere on any side of the ball for them.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

No, they were fun to watch. They could move the ball, they knew where they were going to be. They they would have some crazy passes and stuff like that. They they were pretty good, man. They were pretty good. I felt sometimes Calabria tried to like do too much, you know. Sometimes every once in a while I would just hold on to it a little bit too long. But anyway, they returned some good guys, though. They returned sophomore midfielder, Chris Ferguson, had 22 goals and 10 assists last year. Um, they returned junior midfield Devin Dugnowski at 23 and 8. Yeah, uh senior midfield Ryan Smith comes back. Yep. The freshman from last year is now a sophomore this year, their goalie, Aaron Dorfman.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Yeah, who was rookie of the year in the ECC and goalie of the year?

SPEAKER_00 5:59

He played so well for a freshman.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

57% safe percentage.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

He really played well. So he's coming back. That's that's one solid area that Mercy can talk about. Uh, they got uh Michael Corbos coming back, and they're two short stick D mids uh that got plenty of burn last year. Danny Fitzgerald and Matt Kramer. They're coming back.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

And Jake Norton. Now, what I'd say a lot of these players, like you just named some of them, Matt Kramer uh at LSM, Jake Norton at short stick D Middy, both those guys didn't really start, but they played in all 16 games. And I think that's what they're gonna need. If you look on the offensive side, you mentioned something like Lyon Smith, Shane Roach, AJ Barone, Ian Vada. Those guys played in double-digit number of games, and now they've got to make that experience count more on you know, in the flow of the game. And when I mean that for like just the chemistry again and playing mercy ball to the level that like the hiders and etc. were at.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Yeah, you know, and I couldn't agree, I couldn't agree more. Um I love the kid Corbo on defense. He's an aggressive, fast player, great stick skills, just a hustler out there. You know, he's a hustler. Yeah, like it's not gonna be easy to play against him, but I don't know. I only counted 37 on their roster.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Well, they also have some transfer. They have transfer Jimmy Osario from Newberry coming in. He had 34 goals and 14 assists.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

I told you that kid was still coming around.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Yeah, serious. But he he's over, he's at mercy now. And and coach was telling us, you know, they've got some other players that they they think are gonna be contributors on defense, Sean Higgins and Jason Cassis. And they've got some freshmen with contribution uh potential, you know, Nick Filicomo at LSM, Jackson Redman, short stick D, Cole Hunsberger at MIDI, and Michael Metrano at faceoff. Now they're gonna need it. They're gonna need those guys to step up. You know, they've got Kenny Summit on face-off coming back too, and he was at 64% last year. Now, he didn't have as much burn, obviously, as Jason Cooner. When you got a guy like Jason Cooner, you let him lead it.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

But he was just giving him blows, giving them a breath.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

But you know what? Again, I think it's a different team this year. It's a new look. Again, all these kids that we just talked about, Burgesson, Kramer, Fitzgerald, uh, Brian Smith, they all got burned. Yeah, they all got plenty of burn, but they're stepping up into roles now. What role am I taking? Am I stepping into that role? So these younger guys that got a lot of burn last year are gonna be stepping into major roles. They're gonna need those freshmen to step into those roles behind them, especially with only 37 on the roster, Kev.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Yeah, and and what's interesting is I found these stats amazing. Like team stats, how much is actually returning on the team for some of these stats? Goals, only 34%, assists only 27%, ground balls, 28%, cause turnovers, 34%, face-off wins, 12%. So there's no category on team stats that's above 40% that they're returning to the roster. So they've got some work cut out for them this year.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

Yeah, they do. It's not gonna be the same Mercy Maverick team that we're accustomed to seeing. I think they'll be formidable. I think they'll be competitive. I just don't know if they can win this conference this year. We'll see.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

I think it's gonna be a lot closer than it has been in the years past. They went 6-0 in conference last year. I'm if they do that again, that's a testament to the team, the program, and the coaches.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Oh, absolutely. I think it's gonna be pretty difficult, though. You know, that with no Cuner and no Gerdville, I mean, and no Heider. I mean, those three guys right there meant a meant a lot to that Marcy team and how that team flowed and ebbed and and and was responsible for kind of like the way that team played. And without those three guys there, what's their identity gonna be?

SPEAKER_01 10:28

Yeah. Tell it quickly. So quickly, their 2025 out of conference is Franklin Pierce, Georgian Court, Bentley, Adelphi, St. A's, and Florida Tech. And they're doing that at a neutral site in Maryland. Okay, good. Excellent, excellent. That's a that's a excellent. They that whole it looks like they're out of conference builds, right? Franklin Pierce, Georgian Court, then they go Bentley, Adelphi, St. A's. I mean, that that's some that's a tough, and then Florida Tech to end it. But they better watch out for all of those teams. All of them, all of them. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Okay, how about Frostburg State?

SPEAKER_00 11:08

Yeah, the Bobcats. You know where they're located? In Frostburg, Maryland.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Been there many times. My son was recruited there when it was still D3. What's that near? That's out west, right? It is western Maryland. It is really almost on the border. It's close to West Virginia, beautiful country, beautiful West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 11:30

Coach Steve Gardelman, who's been uh running the helm there for a couple of years now, doing a really good job getting those Bobcats, you know, to play some pretty good lacrosse. 13-4 overall last year. Kev, very good season. Five and one in conference. Five and one in conference. Yep. You know, they're another really good team in the ECC and nationally.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Correct. I mean, they beat Seton Hill and Roberts Wesley last year. They lost to Mercyhurst by one, and then they lost to Mercy twice, regular season ECC Championship. But they are always in the mix. They're an interesting team, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

They lost to ranked teams.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

They lost to ranked squads. They they play even the ranked teams tough. They just, and they've been ranked themselves mostly most of the season. So they're a really good team. They're out of conference for 2025. Looks like this Walsh, St. Anselm, Malone, Wheeling, Wilmington, St. Michaels, Bentley, Davis and Elkins, and Seaton Hill. Okay. It's a good mix. It's a good mix. Now, what I would say, Danny, for them, we talked about the number the points there that Mercy lost. Frostburg is losing their six top scores, Danny. 346 points. Bubba Love, Austin Sipes, Chase Buckwalter, Owen McCallum, Tyler Dooley, and Justin Pulse.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

Kevin, they were ninth in the country in scoring offense last year, averaging 16 goals a game. Quite lethal.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

Yeah. They had so many options. And of course, Bubba Love with the best name in D2 lacrosse. We had him on.

SPEAKER_00 13:21

He was like the cool surfer dude that just like was chilling in the back. He was a good player. It was fun to watch him play.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Yeah. Now they once again, they they almost look a lot like Mercy in the fact they lose a lot of firepower. They have a lot of guys coming back and some transfers to help out. On attack, Luce, Luke Aspis, Sean Mulaneux, Wes Phillips. He's a Tuskelum transfer, Baylor Davis, Jack Hooks. Now, those are all like sophomores, one senior and one junior. Sean Muleneau is a North Greenfield transfer. And then at midfield, they've got guys like Luke Roach, Tyron Long, all guys that kind of had burned last year. But once again, need to step up. You know, Blaine Karatko, JT Calhoun. I can go down there. They've got a limestone transfer and Graham Allison as a junior. So once again, how do these folks step up and into those roles when they lose that many points? That's going to be the critical thing.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

Yeah, what about their goalie? Nate Jones.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

He comes back. He's back. He was a starter last year. Um, he was about at 48%. Remember, they lost a really good goalie up from a year before. They're they're actually bringing a lot back on D, I think.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Yeah, I was just gonna say their defense seems to be a little bit attacked than our offense.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

They've got four short stick D. Middies coming back. Tristan Anderson, Drew Muleneau, who we talked about a lot last year. Bain Smith, Ben Smith, and Hayden Tyler. Bruce Landon. Yeah. Uh LSM Seamus Kearney returns. He is very good player. Damn good. Damn good. And they've got a Salisbury transfer, Christian Caseda coming in at LSM.

unknown 15:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

Guy that knows how to win, right? In close D, they've got Landon Bruce. He had 22 ground balls and 21 cause turnovers last year. Ryder Walter, Matt Williams, who's a Cabrini transfer, another program that knows how to win. Nick Agresta comes back as a fifth year, 32 ground balls, 20 cause turnovers. And then Will Stefanos. So he appeared in 16 games. So once again, they've got, I think they've got more seasoned, experienced starters on defense, and they've also got guys who've had a lot of burn that are going to fill in a few roles.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Yeah. I wonder how much are on their roster.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

Was their roster updated? Their roster 2025 is not up yet.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

I didn't think most of this like we got from Coach Gardelman. And but guess what? Both of their face-off specialists come back. Greg Dort at 60%, and Alex Wallstrom at 65%. Both seeds.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

Excellent. Excellent. Yeah. Excellent. So you know what? They got a couple of spots, you know, they got to fill out Sipes, Buck Walter, McCallum's points. Again, ninth in the country in scoring last year, Kev. This team knows how to score.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Yeah. So I think even with Coach, when he gave us his information, he said, even with the losses, he likes the direction of the team. I think they're going to have to rely on their defense and their special teams as their offense matures.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Well, that's a good thing to have a season defense back there if you have a young offense. I totally agree. Because the young offense, they'll probably make some mistakes, especially in the beginning of the season, turn the ball over. You you want that, you know, goalie that's been there, kind of been there, done that. You want him in there feeling confident and the defenseman feeling confident. That's a pretty, you know, pretty formidable out-of-conference uh um schedule for them. Yeah. I think they're gonna be in the mix in the ECC. I like to see what they do nationally this year.

unknown 17:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

I think they're gonna be kind of around the same.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

Yeah, I think they're gonna be right uh, you know, in that top 20 mix. I may be tough for them to break in top 15, top 10. We'll see.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

I don't know, man. With the their numbers from last year, yeah. They're definitely a top 10, top 15 team. Last year. Yeah. I mean, again, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

But they they lost a they lost they lost 346 points, Danny, on offense.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Yeah, but you know what? The guys coming back are pretty decent. They're pretty decent. I think they're you know, they're always deep. They've always got athletes there. Uh Garleman gets these guys to score. Yeah, I think I think the offense is gonna be like different in the beginning, but their defense, like we said, is gonna hold them together. And I think they're gonna put it together by the end of the year. I'd like to see how their first three, four games go.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

We'll see. Keeping an eye on the box.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

I really think we're gonna talk about the next team, and I think this team and the next two teams we'll probably talk about, I think, are real wild cards in this conference and maybe even nationally. And the first one I'd like to talk about, it's Roberts Wesleyan.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

Yeah, the Red Hawks.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

They, Danny, in Rochester. Rochester, New York, Rocky, head coach Rocky Delfino. This guy knows how to get the most out of his team. I'm just gonna say that. I've said it before. They had a pretty good sketch roster last year at 39, but he knows how to get the most. He loses players every year, and it seems like he's done a good job of developing players to take that next step, right?

SPEAKER_00 18:57

No, he's a he's a good coach. He gets players to play. He finds athletes and then shows them what to do on the field once they get there. And they do a great job. I mean, they were 10 and 6 overall last year, Kevin. Really good season. Four and 2 in conference. I mean, they're I always liked the way Coach Delfino coaches these guys, and I think they always put a decent schedule together. They play a good brand of lacrosse. You know, they're they're uh formidable and competitive, and all of the above. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

Now they do lose on offense. Number two score Jordan Dietz and Dan Dowiak, but their number one scorer, Gunnar McMillan, 64 goals, 17 assists. Uh Steve Preston comes back, and he was only a freshman last year, and number five, Jacob Zimmerman, who's a defensive player, but their number five scorer. That's you talk about getting the most out of players, 11 goals, 12 assists. Yeah, 23 ground balls, five cost turnover. I mean they play they play transition ball, right? They're gonna get the most out of out of everyone they've got.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

They they're solid in all aspects of of the game. Yep. They're solid. They have good players, they have guys that know how to play the game, they're coached well. Um, Isaac Monero, 57% at the face-off last year. Yeah, coming back.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Yeah, I mean, and then on D, their D is returning. Parker Brossard, Brady Custra, and Connor Pierce are all returning. That's solid.

SPEAKER_00 20:42

Brossard had 28 ground balls and 14 cost turnovers, and junior goalie. Garrett Kaiser comes back. Yeah, he was at 47% last year. Not too bad. Close.

unknown 20:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

You know, you want it over 50. You wanted over 50, but hey, he was only the sophomore last year. Yeah. So I like Robert Swesling, and I love it. They don't lose a whole bunch.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

They don't. And I'm really interested to see who they bring in because their roster is not out, nor is their schedule for 2025. Really curious to see who else they bring in to add more depth in some places. But like I said, you just said it, Danny. They don't lose much. And that's why I find it interesting against Mercy and Frostburg with comparing them with Roberts Wesleyan, just on paper.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

They had 17 players in the scoring column last year. There's another team that knows how to score goals and just again, solid in all areas of the game.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

So true, so true. And they talk about blue collar playing up in Rochester. I mean, if you watch somebody, I remember watching one game where the wind must have been blowing 60 miles per hour. People couldn't even stand watching.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

God bless them because I hate that kind of weather. You know that.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

I love it. It's a great team to watch. And here's another team, Danny, that I know you like to watch. And they've played some phenomenally fun games to watch, and that's the Malloy Lions.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Yeah, the Lions of Malloy, located on Long Island, Kev. Little town called Bronco Center. Nice little town, cute, a lot of little restaurants and stuff. It's a nice town, actually. Um, coach Bill Dunn, former NYIT, great. A legend. Legend? Exactly. Um, I love the way the guy coaches. I think he's a great coach. He's just, you know, we knew when he took the job over at Malloy, Malloy was struggling, you know, and and he's kind of brought them back a little by little each year. They took a step back last year. They went eight and ten and three and three in conference last year. They were four and two in conference the year before, and nine and nine, I think, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, they did the year before. So they took a game, they took a game kind of step back. But they had some injuries to key players last year, and I think that played a big part in some of the get those games. Yeah. But I think coach Coach Dunn does a really good job of coaching these kids. And Kev, they don't lose much at all.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

No, no, and I think the thing that you just hit upon, Danny, was uh some injuries. Like their LSM, who's now a junior Thomas Kofad, he only played in nine games last year, and he is their stall. Well, there's that guy is so quick on his feet and and just gobbles up ground balls. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:49

And I met his I met his dad last year, very nice man. Um, yeah, he was he was injured for a good portion of the year. And when he got when he got back, he wasn't even 100%. You know what I mean? Right. So but the only lose really is Chris Delaney, their top scorer. Right. Senior. But everybody else kind of who contributed and started for this team last year comes back.

SPEAKER_01 24:17

Yep. Noah Taylor, Tommy Corcoran, Justin Pallolas. And then on D, Josh Sunderland, Sean McCabe, and Eric Schiller all are returning.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

Yep. Thomas Culford. Yep. Jaden McLeod's another LSM. Their faceoff, Brandon Pazienza comes back. Yeah. Their goalie Christian Michaels returns. Again, like you mentioned, Sean McCabe. Senior attack, Brian Delberto comes back. 18 goals and 12 assists last year. Not too shabby. You know, like they got players. I think, I think Malloy is going to be real, real tough in the ECC this year.

SPEAKER_01 24:57

I agree with you. I think if they stay healthy, because I think you're right. I think the injury bug got them a little bit last year. If they stay healthy, they're an over 500 team. They're going to be competing against Frostburg and Mercy right in there with Roberts Wesley. And it is going to be a dogfight between those four teams, I think.

SPEAKER_00 25:16

I think if they didn't have injuries, they would have been above 500 last year. I think you're right. There's a couple of games. They were close, and just there was a snow game, I think, against Frostburg State. I think that was.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

A Delphi, I have on their schedule right now. A Delphi, they were postponed because of weather. They didn't play. But Frostburg State, they lost by one, and and there's a good chance that that was uh could have been a weather game, too.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

I think it was, if I'm not mistaken. I watched that game. But you know what? Uh Coach Dunn is the what's this? Is this Coach Dunn's third year or fourth at Multiple?

SPEAKER_01 25:56

I want to say his right after COVID, right? 21-22 season. I think it was the yeah, I think it was the 22 season that he started. So this would be his fourth season. Fourth season, yeah. 22, 23, 24, 25.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Yep. Basically his team now.

unknown 26:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

You know what I mean? Basically for the most part. There might be one one guy or two, maybe left over. Yeah. But and he's, you know, he's coach done. And and he he doesn't have to go far to get really good lacrosse players now because he's right there on Long Island, right there. And um, I think the lines are gonna be tough this year, Kev. I think this is the year. I think this is the year that Malloy makes some pretty big noise. Let's see if they can get themselves in that top 20 uh nationally. And I think they're gonna be I think they're gonna be really good in the world.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

And let's talk about teams like Malloy and Roberts Wesleyan with the AQ. Is that extra incentive to really I don't think those teams need extra incentive. I think they want to win anyway, but I think that just throws a whole when you get into the conference tournament, uh depending on how the season goes, I I look at those four teams as it's a crapshoot to me right now.

SPEAKER_00 27:15

Well, I think in this conference here, for right as of right now, those four squads right there are gonna be fighting each other for that championship spot. Yes, I think the other squads are up and coming, have some work to do in some areas yet. But yeah, Malloy to me seems very poised to be that team that that makes that big jump this year. Could be, could be. So those first couple of games out of the gate is gonna it's gonna tell telling. Yeah, telling, absolutely. So ECC is kind of boiling up a little bit. Yeah, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 28:02

I love it. All right, let's move on. How about St. Thomas Aquainas? Yeah, the spark.

SPEAKER_00 28:10

Yeah, Sparkill, New York. I have no idea where that is, and I've lived in New York. From New York, come on, man. I don't know either. New York's a big state, bro. It's a big state. It is. Um, it's up upstate somewhere. I'm I'm gonna say it's probably close to Rochester. I'll have to check. But Coach Spallone there, they went 5-11 last year and 2-4 in conference. They did beat Deuville in UDC in conference, and that's it. Um only had 28 on the roster that I could see. So this is a young team.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

Well, yeah, so they're that their 2025 roster is not out yet on their, I don't think, on their um, no, it's not out yet on their website.

SPEAKER_00 29:00

Uh I counted, I counted 12 seniors on their roster from last year. So it's a possibility that all 12 are gone, have graduated. I don't know who's coming back as far as the seniors, if there's anybody.

SPEAKER_01 29:15

I that you know, if Coach told us that he I think he loses 11 seniors in grads, maybe 12. I'll tell you what though. Coach Spallone is a dogged recruiter. Look what he did AIC. He's already pulling in a lot, I think, of his 2024 class from AIC plus transfers. Add that into that 16 incoming this year. Um, and he's trying to add more mid-year. As you remember, when he we we talked to him, 16 freshmen coming in? 16, I think. But he talked about he talked about adding a bunch of people mid-year. Whether it works or not, he doesn't know yet. The only thing he said is that they need depth at the goalie position. That's where he's really looking. And so I'll tell you what, Danny, it's not gonna be this year. They may bump up. He even said the talent on the team that was from last year is better than a 5-11 team. They have the talent to be better than 5-11. Oh, by the way, let me just tell you, Spark Hill is is west of White Plains, New York. It's not it's not that far.

SPEAKER_00 30:36

Oh, it's not that far.

SPEAKER_01 30:38

No.

unknown 30:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

No, it's close. It's across, it's across the river from Dobbs Ferry and Mercy University.

SPEAKER_00 30:46

Gotcha. Okay, I know where it is now. Okay, okay. There you go. It's not city about an hour or so from Manhattan.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

Yep. North, north. So that, I mean, I find it interesting, Danny. I I see them having improving this year.

SPEAKER_00 31:07

I just don't know how much. Okay. Sophomore attack Jokasarella comes back, 33 goals and nine assists. Junior attackman, Ryan Christensen. Yep. Senior attack, John Pena, 21 goals and six assists. Senior attack, Jeremy Boggy, 11 goals and five assists. Sophomore LSM John Morris. Get this 48 ground balls and 29 cause turnovers for the kid. That's badass, right?

SPEAKER_01 31:32

And on D-Pole, Jane Stackler, 68 ground balls and 29 cause turnovers. So when Reno Molino, uh D Midi, and Bo Maroney, D Midi are coming back. JT Prairie started all six games. Strength Schaefer. Yeah, I mean, they so they are returning a lot. And what coach said is they are better talent-wise, those players, than five and eleven.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

Yeah, well, you know, Coach Spallone's starting, taking over the team this year, and he's gonna have to put his stamp on the on the team, and you know, what type of offense they're gonna run, what type of defense they're gonna do.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

This, yeah, this is a new look Spartans team than what we've seen in the past. I'm telling you right now. And he says they have the players to play the style of lacrosse that they want to play.

SPEAKER_00 32:24

Yeah, but do they have the numbers to bang with the big boys? Because when you when are you gonna start playing the big boys, well, you're gonna need numbers.

SPEAKER_01 32:32

No, no, yeah, I'm not sure he's gonna be totally there that this year. And I think it's also gonna take some time. If you look at what it took him at AIC, right, he was in his second year when they really started to really explode and be dangerous against any team. I think it'll be the same thing with with Stack. It's gonna take a little time. But I'm seeing numbers, they will be an interesting team to watch this year to see how they look.

SPEAKER_00 33:00

You know, what kind of hopefully they're up to like 35 on their roster to like, you know, really kind of be sort of competitive.

SPEAKER_01 33:11

Don't you know if you remember that he said he could bring in anywhere between two and like 30 mid-year is what he said. I'm telling you, this guy does not stop recruiting.

SPEAKER_00 33:22

So at a conference, they're at Bridgeport, at Adelphi, dun dun dun dun, yeah, at Georgian Court, it's another one, at Felician, at Dominican and New York, and then they host Virginia State. Not bad. They got some other, they got some other games, I think, in there too as well. Yeah, yeah. But uh I think that's right where St. Thomas should be. Yeah. Playing squads like that. You're gonna get destroyed against a Delphi. I'm sorry. Sorry, Coach Spallone, but you're gonna get spanked. You're gonna watch a lot of a Delphi threes go to work for you for against you. The threes and fours will be playing at a Delphi in that game for Adelphi. Not to say anything, just saying.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

Yeah, but that's but he wants that test. I guarantee it. Oh, yeah. See where it matches teams, see where and show them where they need to go. We've said this before for other teams. I think that's that's the same thing. All right. How about uh the Deouville Saints?

SPEAKER_00 34:28

The poor Deuville Saints, all the way up there and freezing cold, buried under snow, Buffalo. Yeah, recently nothing five feet of snow in the last like three days or something. It's crazy up there. But hey, Coach Jack Wilson, two and fourteen, tough year for uh the Saints last year. One and five in con uh in uh in conference. Yep. But here's the thing about Deaville, Cup. It's only their third year in four years. Fourth year, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:00

Fourth year now, but but you're right. It's their fourth year in existence. They it is it is a slow, ever slow build for them. Remember, they've already had a coaching change.

SPEAKER_00 35:11

Yes, yes, I know.

SPEAKER_01 35:13

And I do think Jack Wilson is the man that can uh get them to where they need to be. It's just gonna be slower than what we'd expect. They've got their top four scores returning in Nick Cholette, Brady Ruffalo, Stefano Evan, and Luciano Gonzalez.

SPEAKER_00 35:31

I think the top six return actually.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

They lose attackman, Tristan Inglehart. So that's one. Uh, but they got a lot of, remember, they're a young team, so a lot, they're gonna get a lot of people coming back, right? Their defense returns LSM's Brody Strong and Ethan Lynch. Ethan Lynch also played close D. Logan Schwartz and Cameron Fogarty. Strong.

SPEAKER_00 35:55

Hey, 29 on the roster, though, Kev. You know, it's tough.

SPEAKER_01 35:59

That's the tough one.

SPEAKER_00 36:00

It's it's tough without the numbers, you know. And uh um, did they put out their roster for this year? Did they? Their roster. So there's 29 on the roster. That's what I counted. Yeah. And they're out of conference is uh playing Davis and Elkins, Malone, Post, Walsh, Dominican and New York, yep, Lake Erie, Erie, St. Mike's, and then they open up ECC play at Frostburg.

SPEAKER_01 36:29

Yeah, but they also have on the schedule, I think they've got Assumption, Felician, and Holy Family.

SPEAKER_00 36:36

A couple of games, yeah, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 36:38

Yeah, so they've got those in for out of conference. But you're right, they only have 29, and that's where, you know, even with all the returnees, including goalkeeper Reese Eck. You know where he's from? Where's he from? Forest Lake, Minnesota, Cat. Ah, a Minnesota kid. I'm thinking Nicole doesn't bother him. No, I don't think so. He's he doesn't mind shoveling out of his dorm room.

SPEAKER_00 37:04

So it's a numbers game, I think, for the Saints and Coach Wilson up there in Buffalo. They need bodies. They do have good players. Don't get me wrong, they do. Yeah, and you know what? Yeah, if um you're from that area and you want to play lacrosse, coach, call Coach Wilson, man. It'll do a prospect day for Deuville. Let's get some bodies on that team.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

Yeah, they they will continue to improve. That's what I think. And I like I totally agree with you, Danny. They've got some good players coming back, they need more depth, they need more depth in numbers, and and not only depth and numbers, but that depth where you can run a couple MIDI lines. You've got fresh legs that are coming in to help out the defense, right?

SPEAKER_00 37:49

Exactly. You know, you want two or three LSMs, you want a couple of lines of short stick D mids. You you want you want like eight, nine, mid, ten midfielders minimum. You know, and with 20 with 25 on a roster, you just can't run lines like that. And it makes it hard in the NCAA game. I mean, they're they're playing, you know, once they hit conference play and they play Malloy and and Mercy and and and and these other squads, it it's it's tough for them to compete. I just hopefully they can get more guys in years to come and just put bodies out there and and get the Saints to where they could be. Right, exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

And and now that goes for the last team in the ECC to talk about. They're kind of in the same boat.

SPEAKER_00 38:42

UDC Firebirds in Washington located in Washington, D.C. Firebirds were 1-11 and 0-6 in conference last year.

SPEAKER_01 38:55

Yeah, Matthew Merritt is in his second year. And I'll tell you. Good guy, good guy. He knows this program and is passionate about it. I know we've talked about it last year when he took over. We've had him on the show. I I will tell you, look at their schedule and their roster's not out for 2025. I think he's built his roster is going to be bigger this year, and it's gonna come with players that know how to play lacrosse a little bit more. I've been noticing that and a renewed enthusiasm on their social media pages, especially Instagram. They have they are building a family there to compete. That's what they got to do to begin with. I I don't know where they're gonna be. You know, maybe they get an extra game or two. It's gonna be a slow build for them, too, but he is really, I think, the right guy to do that. The one guy person they lose that I think will be tough for them is goalkeeper Najee Wilson.

SPEAKER_00 39:55

Yeah, that guy he was the captain of the team, he was the senior, he was the voice of the squad. He was in between the pipes. We had him on the show. He was studying for his master's, Kev. Like we were just like so impressed for with him. Yeah, great guy. And and and he was like the heart of that team. He really, really was. And um, you know, they're gonna miss him. And the Sachum twins, Jordan and Julian, they're gone. Yeah, but you know what? Dylan Donaldson comes back, Jahai Guys, Kaleem Hallett, Jordan McTear, and on defense, Nathan Phillips, Patrick Nicario, and goalie Julian Copeland. They've got a core game. They've got some.

SPEAKER_01 40:37

They've got and they they just need numbers, also. Right. Let's face facts. They have gone through several coaches. This is really a rebuild, and this is the guy to do it.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Yeah, he knows that he knows he's been with the program, it's what 34, 35 years.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

Yeah, he he knows, yeah, exactly. Well, he he can sell the school, I think, better than anyone who's been there before as the head coach.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

Dude, he volunteered there for nine years as a volunteer head coach, as a volunteer coach. Yeah. I mean, who knows the the university better than him? And he's got connections, man. He's got connections. So he put his footprints there two years ago. It's gonna take some time. And it's HBCU. It's kind of cool. I love it. I love I I'm excited to see what they do this year.

SPEAKER_01 41:28

You know, it may not be in wins and losses, but how close do they get? How do they compete? What's their skill level? What are the numbers? I mean, all of that is gonna matter. And I I'm excited to see them play this year. In fact, I'm excited to go see on their new field. I've got to go to a game in DC. In fact, I think Virginia State plays UDC at UDC this year. It's a shorter drive for me. Okay, all right. So I'm gonna I'm gonna do that. Now, and that's what we're gonna talk about next. Now, Virginia State Trojans out of Petersburg, Virginia, they are still an independent this year.

SPEAKER_00 42:06

But I They don't belong in the ECC, or at least this year. Maybe in the future.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

Yeah, they've got a good mix, but I we we need to talk about them as a team, so why not throw it right with their other HBCU UDC as they had their historic first historic ever HBCU versus HBCU lacrosse game last year? Yeah, head coach of Virginia State, Sean Church. You talk about uh coach uh Merritt. I love this guy. This guy's passion for what he's doing there. Yeah, he just bubbles over.

SPEAKER_00 42:42

Yeah, church is pretty cool too, man. We've had him on the show as well, and just love his energy and his his desire and the way he speaks of the game of lacrosse and how much it meant to him, and now he's given back. And you know what? Yeah, they were one in ten. It was their inaugural year, Kev. Yeah, in Division II lacrosse. And they that one in ten was beating UDC. I know, I know. I know in the historical matchup between the two historically black colleges. What a story, right? What a story. And you know what? I'm glad Virginia State's in Division II. We knew, and Coach Church even said it. It's an uphill climb. We got to do little steps, one rung of the ladder at a time.

SPEAKER_01 43:32

And you know what? Well, look at they they only lost to stack by two last year and Davis and Elkins by three. Yeah. Okay, so it's not like and look, their roster uh this year is at 36, but coach says they're gonna be playing about 30 at game day because they got several redshirts in development, right? So they've got 30, their numbers are up a little bit. It's still not where they need to be. But you think about who they're returning on attack, Kalani Laughlin, twenty seven goals. Assists, Donovan Elmore, 10 goals, 11 assists, Richard Kirkland, Rob Booth, and then on the midfield, number two scorer, Andre Brigham. That guy has got a rocket of a shot, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 44:12

Yeah, and they're all good athletes, too, you know. Yeah. So again, it's just about this is another need numbers. It's a new program. Coach needs to put his stamp. It takes time to it takes, I think, I think it's gotta take a minimum of four years to really get a program going. You know, that's why I look at like Coach Dunn and Malloy. Right. This is his fourth year with that team.

SPEAKER_01 44:41

Or you look at that fourth year, right?

SPEAKER_00 44:44

Yeah. And that team looks poised to make you know some difference this year. And they also have a legend as a coach, but that's another thing. But these teams are brand new. The number, you know, second year now. Yeah. They got their feet wet in Division II last year. And now they're gonna have to get their feet wet again because they got some schedule, man.

SPEAKER_01 45:09

Yeah, they do. Since they have no out of conference, let's go with their stuff schedule. And then I want to talk about another aspect. They're playing Emory and Henry, Mount Olive, Tusculum, Roberts Wesleyan, Davis and Elkins, Greensboro, Holy Family, Lander, Dominican of New York, Emmanuel, Chuan, UDC, Malone, St. Thomas Aquinas, and they end with Cataba. Wow. They have a full schedule. That's a lot of games.

SPEAKER_00 45:41

That's a great schedule. And that's a great schedule for them. You know what? Um they could probably win two or three games. Maybe.

SPEAKER_01 45:53

Yeah. And here's the interesting thing that Coach did this year. He's brought in some transfers with college experience. Two JUCO transfers from Herkimer, the Goblet twins at MIDI. They've got a transfer from Stevenson University at short stick, D mid. Okay. They've got a grad transfer from Oglethorpe at D, and another sophomore transfer from Stevenson. Coach Church going to work. So you know what that brings? That brings more experience than they had last year on the team.

SPEAKER_00 46:24

I wonder how many actually are on the roster.

SPEAKER_01 46:27

He said 36.

SPEAKER_00 46:29

36 on the roster.

SPEAKER_01 46:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:32

Yeah. Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_02 46:35

Hmm.

SPEAKER_00 46:36

Hey, Coach Church is putting in that work, getting the Trojans up to where they need to be. I think, you know, he was the first one to say we had an uphill battle. It's going to take time. It's a building process. He's got the backing. It looks like it's a beautiful area, Virginia State.

SPEAKER_01 46:54

Um yeah, down in Petersburg. Yeah. You know, they they're building something there. You know, they they still need a lot of work. I think the transfers will help. I mean, they may work on fundamentals from, you know, not turning the ball over, you know, getting better on ground balls, all that stuff. But once again, it was a first-year program with basically, even if they weren't freshmen as they were freshmen in lacrosse experience.

SPEAKER_00 47:19

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Get bringing into transfers is going to be huge for them.

SPEAKER_01 47:24

That will help them improve and help them continue to build.

SPEAKER_00 47:28

I agree. I agree. So, all in all, the ECC has been really good conference in the last couple of years, especially with Mercy being right near the top of the country nationally going to the NCAAs. You know, they went 14 and 2 again last year, Kev. I don't know if Mercy's got the same oomph as they had in the last three years. I think they lose that much.

SPEAKER_01 47:55

I agree.

SPEAKER_00 47:56

It'll be a bunch of kids that burn. A bunch of kids that had burned are getting ready to step in those roles, but that's a lot of points. Gibbons almost 80 points. Calabria is almost 70 points. You know, Hayter, almost 60 points. It's a lot. It's a lot. You know, so I think they lose a ton of experience on both sides of the ball. I think losing Cooner and Gerdville and Haider, those three, I think is huge because all three of them were leaders. Right. And good leaders.

SPEAKER_01 48:30

So what's your prediction then?

SPEAKER_00 48:32

Uh, my prediction, well, I want to go over Frostburg State. I think they're going to maybe not be ninth in the country in scoring this year. I agree with that. I think they're going to take a step back in scoring. I still think they're going to be formidable, though. They got numbers. They've been in big games. They've they know how to play uh in big games. So there are guys, you know, with Seamus Carney and Hayden McCullough and and those guys and Nate Jones coming back. It's going to be different. I think they're going to be formidable. I just don't know if they're going to be as high nationally as they used to be. Yeah. I think they're going to take a step back. That's my opinion. Roberts Wesleyan. I think between Wesleyan and Malloy, like you said in the beginning of the show, I think these are the two teams most poised to make a run. Yeah. And get that AQ. And I'm really liking Malloy. Just coaching. Coaching goes a long way. And you know what? And a lot of their guys come back, Kevin. They do.

SPEAKER_01 49:44

They do. I'm gonna say I'm gonna put out I'm I'm thinking Roberts Wesleyan. Why do I think that? I don't know. I'm I'm throwing that out there. Uh I think you're right, though. I think it's Malloy and Roberts Wesleyan are poised. I think it's almost a pick'em between those two. So I'm just going contrary and to you on Malloy. That's the only reason I'm doing that. But I I like all four of those teams to really battle it out at the top.

SPEAKER_00 50:18

See, if you look at certain statistics, Robert Swesleyan, even though like they were 10 and 6, they were better in certain stats than Malloy last year. You know, uh scoring, defensive scoring, ground balls, like they were just better than Malloy last year in those. I think Malloy had some injuries. I think they were young. I don't think that Malloy loses all that much. I think most of their big boys come back. I think their defense is going to be tough. They got goal and they got the coach. So I think Malloy and Roberts Wesleyan are definitely in the mix to make a run at the AQ this year in the ECC.

SPEAKER_01 51:02

I think it's going to be exciting to watch and find out. We talked about it with GLBC, and then we we were talking maybe two teams, which really it's about four as well. This is going to be four teams and two that usually you would say don't have the chance, but are good teams this year, have the chance.

SPEAKER_00 51:22

Well, it's always been Mercy and Frostburg kind of at the top, right? Those two guys beating each other up, and Mercy's just been stacked with like really, really excellent lacrosse players, you know. And Jordan, Jordan Levine put one hell of a team together up there. Yeah. And and and Coach McSpaden, I have to say it kind of walked into a really good team. You know, he really did. So this is gonna, we're gonna see what a young coach can do because he lost a lot there. Yeah. Again, like losing Hayter, losing, you know, Gerdville, and losing Jason Cooner at the face-off, man. That guy just won face-offs, man. He just won, you know, and I think that's gonna hurt that team. So I don't, I think, I think Mercy takes a step backwards. And it's gonna open up a spot. It's all about how Frostburg can stay. How how how does that team respond this year? You know, are they gonna be the team they were nationally? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 52:24

Yeah, I it I think it's it's going to be on paper right now, a crapshoot. They're gonna go out, all four teams are gonna make a run.

SPEAKER_00 52:38

Pretty interesting in the ECC, huh?

SPEAKER_01 52:40

I love it. I love it. I love this competition. I love the competition. Yeah, it's different.

SPEAKER_00 52:45

A lot of teams like Kev, like we're noticing as we're doing our conference previews, they're losing guys. Yeah, Lenore Ryan is losing guys, Adelphi is losing guys, Wingate's losing guys, Frostburg's losing guys. Yeah, Lander. Yeah, all the real indie. Yeah, all the squads that were stacked, you know, with 55, 50 players, you know, those bigger squads, you're seeing them lose a lot, and you're gonna see a difference now. You're gonna see turnover in NCAA and Division II this year, I think. A lot. It's gonna be it's it's it's turning out pretty cool. I love 2020. 2025 is gonna be fun. 2025 is gonna be fun. It is, it's gonna be a completely different. And now, like again, the ECC, I just like what's going on in the ECC this year. It should be cool.

Shout outs

SPEAKER_00 53:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:36

Okay. Now it's time to close it out. Do you have any shout-outs? I know we just recorded last night.

SPEAKER_00 53:46

Well, it's Christmas time, Kath. It is so I want to give a shout-out to all our listeners and all the coaches and players and parents that are uh big fans of Indecrease. I wish you guys a very Merry Christmas, happy holidays, all the best. Hope Santa brings you all, you guys, everything you want. Golf balls, golf balls.

SPEAKER_01 54:09

I love it, Danny. Here's a little bit on our listeners. Here's a little Christmas gift for you. I haven't shared this with you, but this is how many countries and territories we've reached. 67 countries and territories, 4,223 different cities have listened to our podcast. In the last five episodes, here's where we've reached beyond the US and Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, the UK, Aruba, Sweden, the Bahamas, and Spain. Oh my god. Does that blow your mind? So when you say thank you to all our listeners and Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all our listeners, I'm right behind you, and let's just keep it going.

SPEAKER_00 55:04

Wow, all over the world. That's good crazy. I'm blown away by that, Kevin. What does Buzzsprout give you? Like numbers or something?

SPEAKER_01 55:16

I I now have an app that gives me Buzzsprout gives me all the the stats like that. Wow. How many countries? 267 countries and territories, over 4,000 cities.

SPEAKER_00 55:29

That's insane for two knuckleheads.

SPEAKER_01 55:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 55:34

On a whim. Yeah. It started on a whim. And you know what? It's it's it's grown, you know, this this little thing of ours. Yeah. It's like like us and ostra.

SPEAKER_01 55:48

And we're we're heading into a new year and a new season. And I can't tell you what, it's been more fun than I can have ever imagined it was going to be that we're still doing it. People ask me, like, are you still doing it? Didn't your son graduate? He's not even playing lacrosse. I'm like, yeah, but I get to talk lacrosse. I watch lacrosse. I get to talk lacrosse with one of my dear friends, Danny Moran.

SPEAKER_00 56:09

Yeah, it's fun, man. I love lacrosse too, man. It changed my family's life. Again, Kev, I was a Queens kid, moved down to Long Island. I didn't know shit about lacrosse. And, you know, watching it, watching my kids learn to play lacrosse was like watching grass grow. It was tough. I didn't know the rules, you know, I didn't know much about the game, but man, it changed our lives. It got to the point where every summer it was like, all right, where are we going? We're going to Annapolis this year, we're going up to Boston this year, we're going to Charlotte this year, you know. We're just, it's been so much, it's been a great ride. And just to get to do this, uh, and it's fun. We do it for fun. We're not making any money really doing this. Yeah. Yeah. But if anybody wants to sponsor us, that's right. We've helped free the bills. Feel free to shout out.

SPEAKER_01 57:00

We'll we'll zoom subscriptions ain't free. Buzz sprout subscriptions ain't free.

SPEAKER_00 57:06

Yeah, so any spot anybody want to sponsor their their business, man? Shoot us a shoot us a DM and we'll work something out with you guys. Look at me plugging and trying to get some right.

SPEAKER_01 57:18

Yeah, during Christmas, the Christmas season, you know. So, but anyway, we since this episode is coming out uh just before Christmas, once again, happy holidays to you and happy holidays to all over. That's a wrap. That's a wrap.