By Jodie Ng, news staff
The new additions to Northeastern’s men’s club lacrosse team (4-1) have big shoes to fill.
The Huskies started the spring season on March 6 with a Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League (PCLL) Championship under their belt. Although it was a senior-dominated squad in 2014, it does not reflect this year’s capabilities, club president Matt Mohr said.
Mohr, a senior goalie, said despite a very young team, there’s “a lot of talent out of the freshman.”
Senior attackman and co-captain Danny Brockwell echoed Mohr’s remarks. With the season just under way, NU is returning with a bold statement.
“We’ve been doing really well this year,” Brockwell said. “Our only loss is to [Boston College] by one.”
NU has beat University of Pittsburgh, Indiana University, University of Rhode Island and Southern Connecticut State University. Points-wise, the biggest win was edging out Southern Connecticut 19-4.
NU club lacrosse is part of the PCLL conference and is ranked 21st in the top 25. Ninety-four teams make up the league.
Although the team bid farewell to many veteran players, a lot of the members have stepped up according to Brockwell, who said that “the team has really developed.”
Despite their strong rhythm, both Mohr and Brockwell said they know winning doesn’t come without hard work and dedication.
“The goal is to always get to the national tournament for us,” Mohr said. “We were right there last year and got bounced the first round. It was a tough game against Chapman. We just want to get back and win that game and move to the next round.”
In order to have an opportunity to compete on the national stage, the team will need to bring home a consecutive PCLL win and is confident it can do so.
“There are a lot of tough teams in our division like [University of Connecticut], [University of New Hampshire] and, of course, BC,” Brockwell said. “We’re looking forward to playing all of them.”
NU has a long-standing rivalry with BC. Last March, the Huskies defeated the Eagles, 10-9, before losing to them earlier this season.
The squad has continually proved to be a top contender regardless of its opponents and has become a high-caliber unit that understands its strengths and weaknesses. Brockwell describes the team’s defense as the best in the country. Mohr leads the country in save percentage.
“Historically, our problems have been on the offense,” Mohr said.
However, he said that the coaching staff has played a major role in helping to improve their offense. Ben Severance returns as head coach for the 2015 season and Bryant Amitrano was brought on as the new assistant coach and offensive coordinator.
“[Amitrano] brought in new plays, new schemes, making us practice harder,” Mohr said. “I think it’s working out well so far. We obviously need to practice more on both sides but I think we’ll get there.”
Despite a stronger defensive performance, the Huskies still have an offensive advantage with strong attackman like Brockwell, who is ranked the second-highest scorer in the conference with 3.2 points per game.
“Do more with less has been our motto this year,” Mohr said.
NU is scheduled to go head-to-head with the Georgia Institute of Technology on April 5 at home at Parsons Field.
Photo by Brian Bae
