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Keene State laxmen set for season-opener against Bates
KEENE, N.H. 3/2/10 - The officials start of spring is still a few days away, but the Owl men's lacrosse team will get the Keene State College spring athletic schedule underway when it travels to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine for its season-opener on Wednesday (5 p.m.).
KSC began last season by beating the Bobcats 14-7 in Keene. "It's a tough opener, especially after a three hour drive," said Mark Theriault, the Owls' 11th year coach. "But at the same time, I'd rather play against a team like this than one that won't be competitive."
After spending the last month practicing on the turf at Owl Athletic Complex, Keene State is anxious to begin its 2010 season. "I think we're ready," said Theriault. "We won our scrimmage against Springfield a few weeks back and it looks like the team is coming together."
Theriault welcomes back four starters and 22 letter-winners from last year's 9-4 (6-1 LEC) team that advanced to the Little East Championship game.
With a large 41 player roster, Keene State will have both quality and quantity this season. "We lost a few players, but we brought it a lot of talent," said sophomore attack Griffin Meehan, the LEC rookie of the year, who led KSC in scoring with 37 goals and 84 points. "It's just going to take awhile for everyone to get on the same page."
With the loss of Tony Santa Fe, a three-time All-LEC pick, and Rodney Arganese, Meehan will be joined up front by Matt Schairer, a transfer from Quinnipiac and freshman Taylor Jette. Jette and Meehan were former teammates at Simsbury (Conn.) High.
A new-look KSC top midfield line will include junior Ryan Shairs, and talented freshmen James Galloway and Ian Hart. Theriault is expecting big things from Hart, who played at Monadnock Regional. He's a hard-nosed player with good lacrosse sense," said Theriault.
Expected to be a little bit quicker this season, the Owls' defense will be anchored by senior Kyle Barnett, an All-LEC pick. Senior Easton Kezer, who returns after missing last season, will move into one of the close defensive spots along with Sean Leblanc, another import from Quinnipiac.
Junior Alec Corliss is back for his second season as Keene State's No. 1 goalie. Corliss finished last season with an 8.94 GAA and .583 save percentage.
Senior Jamie LeSage will take over as the Owls' top face-off man.
A team at one-time referred to as Pinkerton-West for its abundance of Pinkerton Academy players, the Owls can change its name to Simsbury-North this season. KSC's roster includes six players who at one-time played at Simsbury High in Conn. "When you have a player like Griffin, who had a good experience that filters back to his high school," said Theriault. "Like Pinkerton, you always want to tap into a good pipe line."
Although adjustments are to be expected with 17 newcomers, including 14 freshmen on the team, veterans like Barnett like what they've seen so far. "We're a young team, but I think is one of the most solid teams we've had in the last couple of years," he said. "I expect us to do real well this season."
