Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh kicks off preseason practice with season opener on the horizon
1/21/2015 12:27:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's lacrosse team opened preseason practice this week as the Mountain Hawks begin preparations for the season opener set for Feb. 7 vs. Marquette. Lehigh features a veteran squad in 2015 which will vie for its third Patriot League Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four years.
"We're really excited to be back," said senior co-captain Dan Taylor. "It was a long break; we had almost a full month off. I know the guys were chomping at the bit to get back after it. We started on Sunday; it was a lot of fun with a lot of intensity and we look to keep it going."(1/21/2015) 2015 Men's Lacrosse Practice Starts
The winter break was a little longer at Lehigh, which added to the excitement and anticipation to get started.
"It's felt like an eternity since we practiced back in the fall," said head coach Kevin Cassese. "We've got an older group, a more experienced group and guys who've been around the block a time or two. It'll be easier to start a little bit more advanced than we have in the past. Hopefully that carries with us so we can get more advanced down the road."
Lehigh's senior class features an All-American attackman in Taylor and three-time All-American goalie in Matt Poillon. Senior co-captain Lukas Mikelinich helps anchor the defense while senior midfielder Kurtis Kaunas leads the way in the midfield. The Mountain Hawks have experience at all positions, including at the faceoff X in sophomore Casey McAdam who won 52 percent of his draws in his rookie campaign.
"I think we're starting at a place where we've never started before," said Taylor. "We have a lot of returning guys so we're able to get into some really complicated things early in the season. We're really looking forward to the first games."
Cassese has seen several good things already this preseason.
"We have very good leadership. Our top guys have come in in very good shape and they're trying to help the younger guys develop quickly," said Cassese. "I've been very impressed with a lot of our upperclassmen and the way they've led."
The focus early in the preseason is fundamentals. With the regular season opener in just over two weeks, having a veteran squad should help the team advance quickly.
"We have to get back to our base systems and make sure that those are clean and neat," said Cassese. "We also figure out where we can push and where we can press some buttons to try and change what we do and put a little bit more pressure on people. With the opener quickly approaching, we feel like we have to get everything accomplished a little bit quicker than we have in the past. But we're also relying on these guys as veterans to know what to do and have a good grasp on everything so we don't have to spend as much time on the base systems as we have in the past."
Taylor and the players are excited to start playing games so quickly.
"It's good to get our feet wet early and learn as we go," he said. "I know the guys will be ready, so I'm not worried about our preparedness our excitedness. It's going to be an opportunity to get better even faster."
That season opener is set for Saturday, Feb. 7 at 12 p.m. vs. Marquette. The Mountain Hawks will then travel to Furman on Feb. 14 before opening Patriot League play at home vs. Boston University on Feb. 21. Check back to Lehighsports.com throughout the preseason for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks heading into the 2015 season.
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook and follow on Twitter for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
"We're really excited to be back," said senior co-captain Dan Taylor. "It was a long break; we had almost a full month off. I know the guys were chomping at the bit to get back after it. We started on Sunday; it was a lot of fun with a lot of intensity and we look to keep it going."
The winter break was a little longer at Lehigh, which added to the excitement and anticipation to get started.
"It's felt like an eternity since we practiced back in the fall," said head coach Kevin Cassese. "We've got an older group, a more experienced group and guys who've been around the block a time or two. It'll be easier to start a little bit more advanced than we have in the past. Hopefully that carries with us so we can get more advanced down the road."
Lehigh's senior class features an All-American attackman in Taylor and three-time All-American goalie in Matt Poillon. Senior co-captain Lukas Mikelinich helps anchor the defense while senior midfielder Kurtis Kaunas leads the way in the midfield. The Mountain Hawks have experience at all positions, including at the faceoff X in sophomore Casey McAdam who won 52 percent of his draws in his rookie campaign.
"I think we're starting at a place where we've never started before," said Taylor. "We have a lot of returning guys so we're able to get into some really complicated things early in the season. We're really looking forward to the first games."
Cassese has seen several good things already this preseason.
"We have very good leadership. Our top guys have come in in very good shape and they're trying to help the younger guys develop quickly," said Cassese. "I've been very impressed with a lot of our upperclassmen and the way they've led."
The focus early in the preseason is fundamentals. With the regular season opener in just over two weeks, having a veteran squad should help the team advance quickly.
"We have to get back to our base systems and make sure that those are clean and neat," said Cassese. "We also figure out where we can push and where we can press some buttons to try and change what we do and put a little bit more pressure on people. With the opener quickly approaching, we feel like we have to get everything accomplished a little bit quicker than we have in the past. But we're also relying on these guys as veterans to know what to do and have a good grasp on everything so we don't have to spend as much time on the base systems as we have in the past."
Taylor and the players are excited to start playing games so quickly.
"It's good to get our feet wet early and learn as we go," he said. "I know the guys will be ready, so I'm not worried about our preparedness our excitedness. It's going to be an opportunity to get better even faster."
That season opener is set for Saturday, Feb. 7 at 12 p.m. vs. Marquette. The Mountain Hawks will then travel to Furman on Feb. 14 before opening Patriot League play at home vs. Boston University on Feb. 21. Check back to Lehighsports.com throughout the preseason for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks heading into the 2015 season.
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook and follow on Twitter for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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