BIDDEFORD — Usually when a team wins six games in 17 that’s nothing it will celebrate.
Not the case for the University of New England men’s lacrosse team.
The Nor’easters finished the 2010 campaign 6-11 tying its season best for wins. It earned the eighth seed for the TCCC tournament and its coach said he hopes to expand upon that success this year.
“I think we build every day,” said UNE coach Jon Hunt, now in his sixth year as the head coach. “We are a better team than last year already. We just need to clean up a few areas and our record will show the improvement.”
The Nor’easters bring back experience, especially on offense. They return their four leading goal scorers from last year in Tyler Thomas (40), Dylan Thomas (25), Michael Woods (29) and Luke DiFiore (20).
“They are very important to our success,” Hunt said. “We want balance in our scoring.”
The team also boasts Mike Pennacchio. He was third in scoring on the team in 2009 with 21 goals and five assists. He is running with the top midfield unit and is a “great” dodger, Hunt said.
Youth, blended with experience, is also an asset for this year’s squad.
Freshman Dan O’Gorman from Putnam Valley, N.Y., already has six goals in the team’s first seven games.
“These guys are huge parts of our offense,” Hunt said. “We want to get everyone involved and they compliment Woods, Thomas, Thomas and DiFiore very well.”
Hunt also said that those goal scorers, combined with returning defensemen chuck Dowd, Nick McMahon and Nick Peter – all starters last season – along with starting goalie Nate Porter, could make UNE a more formidable foe this season.
“They are the backbone of our team and one of the toughest defensive groups in the TCCC,” Hunt said.
League coaches selected the team to finish eighth in the 11-team TCCC.
That’s not a slight, Hunt said, but the team could finish above that.
“I don’t think being selected eighth is way off based on last year. We were the eight slot in the playoffs,” he said. “I don’t put a lot of stock in preseason polls. Teams are different every year at this level. We play in one of the toughest conferences in New England so every game is a challenge. Our goal is to finish higher than eighth, but we recognize that we must be prepared to compete every day to take those steps.
The team is currently 2-4 with 15-4 and 12-8 out of conference wins against Husson and Southern Maine.
Offensively the team has scored 46 goals with Tyler Thomas leading the way with nine. DiFiore has seven, Dylan Thomas eight and O’Gorman six.
A lot of the play has been unselfish as the team has 29 assists.
“This program has a very bright future,” Hunt said. “UNE is a great school in a fantastic location. We now have one of the top facilities in the country (The Big Blue Turf) and even more coming with our new Alfond Athletic Complex.”
Assistant coaches Charlie Burch and Jedd Brown are also expected to keep the team on the right track, Hunt said.
“I have a wonderful staff that works tirelessly to help our young men take the next step,” Hunt said. “Most importantly we have phenomenal student-athletes that are committed to creating a special program at UNE.”
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