After putting together a 6-6 record and giving the Queen’s Golden Gaels a close final game, Ravens men’s lacrosse head coach Jeremy Strong said he is optimistic for the upcoming season.
With the winner moving on to the playoff rounds of the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association’s (CUFLA) Baggataway Cup, the Ravens managed to take the higher-ranked Golden Gaels squad to overtime. Queen’s ended up scoring to win the game 7-6.
“They’re probably one of the most competitive teams we play against,” Strong said. “We really shocked the Queen’s guys. I don’t think they thought that we were going to come out as strongly as we did.”
Strong said that after they gave the Gaels a run for their money, it gave him and his coaching staff something to look forward to in 2015.
While the team is losing a portion of players for the upcoming season, Strong was adamantly optimistic about last year’s rookie class. A large portion of that group is returning to the team this season, in larger roles.
Sam Robillard was one of Carleton’s best defensive midfielders as a rookie, according to assistant coach Evan McCloskey.
“He’s really, really strong defensively,” McCloskey said. “And even when he does pick up the ball, he can take it to the net. He’s got a few nice goals.”
McCloskey said the largest hole for the group to fill will be on the back end, with all-star defender Austin Nix leaving the team for this coming season. The 2014 senior had just five points, but he helped keep balls out of the goal.
The team will rely on new players to fill the void, as well as returnees chipping in. Strong said he is expecting some surprises from this year’s rookie class, similar to those seen last season.
“We were really missing a lot of seniority on the team last year, and everybody stepped up,” Strong said. “By the end of the season, it seemed that we had put a heck of a team together.”
The Bishop’s Gaiters and McGill Marauders are the toughest tests of the season for the Ravens, and have both been mainstays at the top of the CUFLA’s east division.
Both coaches said that leapfrogging them will be a lofty goal. McCloskey said despite that, you can’t approach a game against a top team too differently.
“Games are played on the field for a reason,” McCloskey said. “So you can never go into a game expecting to lose … You just have to keep everybody on the same page and stick to the game plan.”
McGill led the east division with a final record of 12-0 while Bishop’s were right on their tail, with a 10-2 record. This compares to Carleton’s final tally of 6-6, which was good enough for fourth place in the division.
“They’ve lost a lot of seniority this coming season,” said Strong about McGill and Bishop’s, “but they’ve always had very good recruiting classes.”
The Ravens open up their season in September, with a first home date still to be determined. They will play their home games at Ravens Road Field.
