BIDDEFORD — Charlie Burch witnessed the highs and lows during his first two seasons as head coach of the University of New England men’s lacrosse team.
The Nor’easters hosted a playoff game for the first time in program history while going 14-5 ”“ including winning an ECAC championship ”“ two years ago, then won just five games a season ago. With a younger, but hopefully stronger, team this season, Burch and Big Blue are hoping that last year was the lowest of the low.
Three games into the 2015 campaign, the Nor’easters are already 40 percent of the way to last year’s win total, as they sit at 2-1 after a trio of non-conference games. That lone loss came against in-state rival Bates, which Burch called one of two “good out-of-conference games” against NESCAC schools ”“ the other is a home date against Colby at the end of the month.
Burch said he is also looking forward to a spring trip to Widener University in Pennsylvania on March 18.
The start is a good one for a UNE team that only has 11 upperclassmen on its 37-man roster. Burch said that youth could be a potential weakness for this year’s team, “but (the upperclassmen) have been providing excellent leadership so far.
The Nor’easters have experience on their back line, as senior captains Andrew Kelly and Steve Hughes ”“ an All-CCC honorable mention last year ”“ head a defense that will be backed by senior goalie John Dusel.
“One of our strengths is going to be our team defense, we feel, and some good depth at all positions,” said Burch.
Senior captain Seamus Higginbottom and junior Sam Cloutier bring their experience to the midfield, while senior Geoff Bruno is the lone veteran on attack.
The Nor’easters return five of their top nine point producers from last season, with sophomore attacker Dan Auger and Bruno the top two returning scorers. Auger and Cloutier already have six goals apiece of UNE’s 26 goals this season.
Sophomore transfer Dave Rubenstein and freshman Tom Luttrell have shown flashes as newcomers to watch as they have each scored two goals through three games. Luttrell already has a CCC Rookie of the Week award to his name.
How the Nor’easters’ season compares to the last two will be determined heavily by what they do during the eight-game conference slate. Burch pointed to an April 8 date against Endicott ”“ currently ranked No. 6 in the nation ”“ as “a good gauge of where we are when we play them.” That game will start a five-game season-ending run against conference opponents which could mean the difference between hosting a playoff game or heading home before the postseason begins.
Luckily for UNE, the team’s younger players should be a little more seasoned by those games.
“We will need to stay healthy and continue to mature as a team,” said Burch. “Improving our man-up and man-down units will go a long way in determining our success this year.”
The Nor’easters return to action Thursday when they play host to in-state rival Saint Joseph’s College at the Big Blue Turf.
— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.
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