Fun and Games—A more positive outlook has helped Lehigh’s Andrew Lucas regain his form
4/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
of Inside Lacrosse Magazine
Two years ago, a senior season featuring an average of nearly three goals per game was easy to predict for Lehigh attackman Andrew Lucas.
He was coming off a 41-goal freshmen year that put him sixth in the country with 2.93 goals per game. But that success didn’t last. His goals plummeted to 21 as a sophomore and slipped to 13 last year as a junior thanks to injuries and an ill-advised switch to midfield.
This year, though, Lucas has rediscovered that freshmen form, and his explosive capability makes Lehigh a dangerous threat in what is proving to be a stacked Patriot League. The senior tri-captain, who led the team in scoring with 24 goals in Lehigh’s first nine games, blew up for six in a big upset over then-No. 25 Penn in mid-March and could easily do it again down the stretch to ruin someone’s season.
The difference? Fun, he says.
“I just want to enjoy it while it lasts,” says the Baldwin, N.Y. native. “I really got down on myself sometimes and focus on the negative. Now, I’m trying to focus on the positive.”
Lucas’ struggles last year came after Chris Wakely shifted him to midfield, a move the coach admits was a mistake.
“We were trying to create some matchup advantages,” Wakely says. “He always drew the pole anyway so we tried midfield last year, but we never found a rhythm,. Now we’ve got him back to where he’s more comfortable. So much of his game if off-ball, and now he’s driving more and dodging more.”
Besides the new position, Lucas dealt with injured right shoulder ligaments that limited his minutes and affected his shooting more than he expected. “Every time I shot, it felt like my shoulder was coming out of place,” he says.
This year, Lucas has returned to the attach, and his shoulder is pain-free. He’s quick to spread the praise for his success, however, crediting the contributions of senior attackman Greg Morin and sophomore midfielder Blake Best, who rank second and third on the team in scoring.
“They’re both so key to me playing well,” Lucas says. “It’s not just one guy. It’s a real team, and it opens things up for me.”
Getting movement on offense to open up the field certainly is paying dividends for Lucas, who says he’s more of a finisher than a dodger. The productivity is playing a huge part in making the game fun again. And when it’s fun, it’s much easier to keep that focus on the positive.
“There’s a maturing process,” Wakely says. “He’s old enough and experienced enough now to realize that, ‘Hey, this is my last year and I’m going to play as if I have nothing to lose.’ There’s not all this pressure.”
That attitude, the coach says, can be contagious. When Lucas is in that comfort zone, so too are the teammates who are following their senior leader.
“It’s nice to have a group of players that re good kids,” Wakely says. “They’re so comfortable with each other and they just go out and play, and Andrew is a part of that. When he’s smiling or having fun, the team responds. He’s so much more relaxed his year.”
With that big Penn win and close losses to Patriot powers Army and Navy, the Mountain Hawks’ morale is up, and that could help make Lehigh a team no one wants to face in the second-ever conference tournament.
“It’s been a lot of fun this year,” Lucas says.
The fun could only be beginning.
This story appeared in the April 29, 2005 issue of Inside Lacrosse Magazine. Reprinted with permission.
Photo (c) 2005, Lynne Ellis Photography
