UAlbany Men’s Lax off to Historic Season
The UAlbany men’s lacrosse team have officially reached the midpoint of their 2018 campaign and are on pace for a historic season. This past week they were unanimously named the No. 1 Division I men’s lacrosse team in the nation and have gotten off to a red hot 7-0 start after their 19-11 drumming of Canisius yesterday at Casey Stadium.
The attack duo of Connor Fields and Tehoka Nanticoke have been on fire. This past Monday, the two were both named America East Conference Players of the Week. Fields was named the offensive player of the week, his third time this season and 17th time in his career. Nanticoke was named rookie of the week for the fourth time on the year since the season started on Feb. 17.
Fields and Nanticoke are both scoring at an unbelievable rate. Fields averages just over 3.5 goals per game (2nd in Division I) and Nanticoke is firing in just under three goals per contest (14th in Division I). The Danes have the top scoring offense in the nation with just over 16 goals per game. UAlbany also has the No. 3 scoring defense that allows just over seven goals per game. They are blowing teams out left and right. This is the equivalent to having Duke basketball in the Capital Region.
One of the biggest reason why there is such a discrepancy is the fact the Danes are winning faceoffs at an astronomical rate. Faceoff extraordinaire TD Ierlan has won over 82 percent of his faceoffs on the year. He’s put the ball in the Dane’s hands 132 times and that has been one of the catalysts in their success.
This team has a make it take it mentality and they are hitting their groove just as the season has reached its midway point. If you haven’t gotten a chance to see this team play there are only a handful of opportunities to see a team that is rewriting the history books. They have three more home games left and then who knows how many postseason games they will play in, hopefully concluding with a nation championship.