Lacrosse Magazine: LIU Post Honors Seniors With Victory

4/28/2014 3:33:00 PM

Leading up to the regular-season finale against LIU Post, Dowling head coach Tim Boyle knew it was going to be an uphill slog despite Post's uncharacteristically weak record. The rivalry, which is one of the best in Division II, isn't based on win-loss marks, and, more importantly, Boyle figured the Pioneers would like nothing more than preventing his team from earning its first outright ECC regular season title in program history.

After LIU Post stifled Dowling, 9-6, to win the contest, Pioneer head coach John Jez was asked if ruining the Lions historic bid played a factor.

"It didn't really come up. We weren't really thinking about that," Jez said. "We just wanted to play well and do it for the seniors. At the end of it all, it's what we accomplished more than anything else. This game was for the seniors."

Playing in the final home game for the 10 seniors and graduate students on the roster, LIU Post raced out to a 3-0 lead in a game in which it would never trail. Dowling would come back to tie the game by the end of the first quarter, but the tone had been set for the afternoon.

"They came out on fire and I think Senior Day had a lot to do with it," Jez said. "The guys finally played up to the level that they wanted to play at all year. They kept a positive attitude and they played with full energy the entire game. When it was 3-3, they were still upbeat. They didn't look down on themselves."

Two players participating in their final game on Hickox Field made a difference for the Pioneers. T.J. DiCarlo made 10 saves in net while Dom Mantovani played his best game of the season at the faceoff dot. Jez was impressed with Mantovani's performance, which was 10-for-18 on draws along with eight ground balls.

"It was the first time this season we've been over 50 percent on the faceoff and he had a goal," Jez said. "He had some key ground balls and he was probably the difference for us."

A trio of juniors also played a role in slowing down a Dowling offense that was averaging nearly 15 goals per game entering Saturday's tilt. Robbie Chiocco, Justin Woodley and Steve Gruse put the clamps on the Lions attack, holding Chris Stemke, Kevin McElhone and Matt Crough to a combined three goals and one assist. The trio had combined for eight goals and four assists per outing before running into the Pioneers backline.

"They are three juniors who have played with each other the last three years," Jez said. "They are pretty good guys, and they can match up with a great attack like Dowling's, which has three good guys. They shut them down and played tough with them one-on-one."

Sending out the seniors/grad students in style was a welcome finish for Post, but it has the added drawback of illustrating the potential this squad had and the frustration that followed it all season.

It started with the cancellation of the spring trip to North Carolina because a snowstorm wouldn't let them off the Island. It was compounded by three one-goal losses – including a triple overtime setback to NYIT last weekend – and a two-goal defeat at the hands of Mercyhurst. In total, the Pioneers five losses came by a total of nine goals.

While LIU Post isn't completely eliminated from NCAA discussion, their sights are firmly on winning the first-ever ECC tournament, which begins on Wednesday when the Pioneers take another crack at NYIT.

"We had some hiccups early and we didn't play well, but now we still have something to play for," Jez said. "Though the NCAAs are a stretch for us, winning a conference title is there."