It Won't Happen Again...

Alright, I guess I can start off by apologizing for the lack of posts during the past few weeks.  I would like to say that my absence of writing is due to the overload of school work, but I'll save that excuse for a later time...in honesty, time kind of just caught up with me.  It happens every year, four weeks of preseason seems like an eternity from the beginning.  Nothing but a month long of practices with running, lifting, pressure grounders, bowdoin breakouts, more pressure grounders, cold weather and some more pressure grounders.  But, as always, time flies and finally, we get to test our skills and preparations against someone other than ourselves this week...

...The preseason went as most do.  Shaking off the rust and getting back into the flow of things, a few days into practice we were able to really get rolling.  Obviously, the first practices won't be perfect, and there's always a little adversity to deal with.  For any alumni out there, I think it's fair to say one of the biggest is the weather and the dreaded gym when weather doesn't permit us from getting out on the turf.  Personally, there's a love/hate relationship with the gym.  When it's 10 degrees out and windy, the last thing you want to do is run around on a field and get smacked with a metal pole.  However, after a few drills in the sand-covered gym, a part of you wishes you were outside.  In a perfect world (called Florida) it would be 65 degrees and sunny out in February, but that's a tad unlikely for good ole' Plattsburgh.  Anyways, for the last 2-3 weeks, we've been able to get outside and really get the ball rolling.  Working on game-like situations, 6v6, and full field scrimmages, we have been able to incorporate team philosophies and work on our chemistry both offensively and defensively.  With only two more practices left until our first game this Wednesday at RPI at 4:00, the next few days will be really important to put in those last pieces to make sure we're ready to go...

...The whole team is itching to get going and play in a game.  A month of drills, conditioning, and hard work has everyone ready for the opening faceoff.  Our first game, which is at RPI, will be a nice non-conference rematch from last year's game, which the cards won 9-7.  RPI is coming off of a season of highs and lows, as they had victories versus some top teams in the nation, but loses against weaker opponents left them out of the playoffs for 2012.  Fair to say, as a team that is often in the running for top 20 in the nation, RPI will be ready to go when we arrive at their place, especially after they lost their season opener this year in OT.  For us, we're looking to get off to a fast start and keep going.  We have a very challenging schedule this year which, with the addition of Stevens Tech game for March 9th, includes four Top 20 teams.  We know we have a ton of talent, most of it returners as well as some key new players, and we're eager to prove that this year will be one to remember.  We're taking this season one game at a time, and it starts with RPI this week.  I will do my BEST to update this blog as often as I can, and post updates and game reviews at least once a week.  If anyone has any suggestions or ideas they would like to see on the blog, please let me know.  On that note, I hope to see everyone there this Wednesday supporting your Plattsburgh Cardinals!

For anyone looking for some quality Monday night t.v., I suggest watching this mini-series on NatGeo...tune in at 10:00 p.m...God Bless our Troops

                                                                          

New Year...Same Goal

...Hello Plattsburgh family!  I hope everyone had an amazing holiday season and a happy New Year! Crazy how fast it comes and goes, and for us students, it really makes our relatively long break go by way too quick, but I know everyone is excited and ready to head back to the nest to start our 2013 season...
...There isn't too much to mention in this post, so it won't be a long one.  First, and I know it's late, I wanted to make sure that if anyone wants to order team gear, that goes for family members, friends, hell maybe even a co-worker, the order forms are due January 20th.  I know the link has been posted through our twitter account, but if you would like to or are interested in purchasing any of the sweats, shorts, or shirts, you can go to Lacrosse Team Gear, then head to team apparel and click on the Plattsburgh logo from there.  If you have a twitter account and you follow the team account, there's a direct link there.  So if you're interested, hurry up!  Times running out and we have some awesome gear this year...
...Secondly, after multiple attempts, Coach Cavanagh has set up the first annual Plattsburgh Men's Lacrosse team golf outing for this summer.  I know a lot of the kids on the team talk a big game when it comes to golf, so this is a great time to prove your skill and help support the team and its future.  Players were given pamphlets with specific information about the event and here's a link to it... Golf Outing Pamphlet... but just for some general information, the outing will be at Crab Meadow Golf Course, in Northport on beautiful Long Island.  I know this is a commute for some of you upstate players and fans, but I promise it will be worth the drive!  The event is set place to take place on August 12, with a 7:30 a.m. start! ...
...Well with the season upon us in only a few weeks, the team and myself couldn't be more excited to finally get going.  The schedule is up on the website, you can view it here 2013 Team Schedule ... In my four years here I can honestly say that this is the most competitive schedule we have faced and that's exactly what we needed to prepare ourselves for the conference games we have.  By facing challenging teams such as RPI, Connecticut College,  Mary Washington, Clarkson, and other non-conference foes, we can prepare ourselves for the games that will get us into the playoffs and the SUNYAC championship where we plan on being this spring.  With the amount of talent this team has and the work ethic we've shown, the potential we have is awesome, but we know talent alone won't achieve our goals.  It's definitely bitter-sweet that this is my last season playing, but I'm looking forward to finally get going and playing with the team and getting to see everyone at the games and tailgates....
....On a side note, I just drove 10 hours down to North Carolina with my friend Mike Regan, aka our self-proclaimed #1 fan for the last 3 years, to visit the Ritz-Carlton of College, High Point University.  In honor of the southern culture, and the fact I'm going to his concert next week, here's a personal favorite by Corey Smith, an awesome country singer from Georgia. See ya'll soon...

Halloween Special

...How's everyone doing on this unusually warm fall day? I hope everyone's October has been great and I know everyone is getting ready and excited for Halloween.  Personally, not my favorite holiday.  Ever since the age where it became awkward asking for candy because you were taller than all the parents handing out candy, I feel like the holiday has gone downhill.  But hey, that's just me...

...So since my last post of roughly 20 days ago, the squad has been quite busy.  First, I want to give a big Thank You for anyone who helped out the St. Baldrick's event.  Once again, it was a huge success and that is in large part due to our parents and all fans who donated, participated, or just attended the event.  To date, we have raised over $8,000, and you can still donate! So if you're feeling generous, help us get to that $10,000 mark and donate for a great cause!...

...Now onto the lacrosse side of our fall, which is why we're all here anyways.  I think it's fair to say that the team helped defend America's dominance over our northern neighbor when we faced McGill in our annual fall ball match-up.  After five weeks of beating up on each other, the team was ready and eager to show what we have accomplished in just a few practices.  Top to bottom, the team played awesome and took a big step in the right direction.  The final score was 14-7, a convincing win for the Cards.  If memory serves me well, the offense was led by senior midfielder Nick Travers, who finished the day with three goals.  Along with that, Ryan Hastings, Brendan Damm, and Anthony Pafundi netted two goals each.  Overall, the players, as well as the coaches, were very pleased with the performance of the team and I think only made us more excited to get the real season going...

...After the game, the squad still had two more morning and night practices, as well as the Alumni game.  I know I speak on behalf of all the seniors when I say we'll all miss the 6a.m. fitness practices very, very much...okay maybe not, but I think it made us realize how all to fast senior year is going by.  That Saturday, the old timers of the lacrosse program came up for the annual Alumni game and, confident as always, gave the current players a good challenge.  I'm not to sure of the final score, but either way, it was awesome seeing the guys that I played with throughout my career.  The game really shows the building of a tradition within the program, and the stronger our alumni base becomes, the more the program will grow.  On a side note, I'm calling a guaranteed Win in next years Alumni Game with my class helping the alumni squad out...

...After the alumni game, the team, parents, alumni, and friends enjoyed an awesome tailgate as always.  Once again, the parents and fans of this team really go above and beyond, and on behalf of all the players, thank you for that.  So now that fall ball is over, its safe to say most players have been catching up on backed up school work, or more likely on some sleep, although I naturally wake up at 5a.m. now so, that isn't possible for me.  For now, the team has some community service activities coming up, including the polar plunge.  This is always a great event, and nothing is more enjoyable than jumping into Lake Champlain in November...just like Long Beach in mid August, kind of...

...My first and last fall season has come and gone, and quite rapidly as well.  Looking at my class schedules, I was a tad shocked and surprised to see we just finished our 9th week of school, yikes.  Guess I should start that 30 page paper.....Once again, the team is pumped and ready to go for the spring.  Although I won't make any Joe Namath like predictions, I will say that the team has some pretty high expectations this year, and I can't wait to get the season rolling...

As promised, Junior Attackman Timmy Lawrence put together the photos from our hike up Poco Moonshine and made a pretty cool video, and the quality of the images kicks in at the 18 second mark....

And being the video lacks a little in the sound department, and the fact that we live in the greatest country in the world andddd since we just beat a foreign team, here's a little American pride....Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween!

We're Baaack

...Hello Plattsburgh lacrosse family and fans, and welcome back!  It's a beautiful Friday here in the Burgh before Columbus day break and I am about to attempt to write my first blog of my young career.  But, before I introduce myself and let everyone in on what's been going on, let me first give a big thank you to Mike Santisteban.  Mike, besides the fact that he was our dominant fogo, ran the blog for the team as well as made all the youtube videos, from spring break to season highlights.  He did a great job keeping our fans in touch with the team and up to date on all games and events which is a huge part on building our lacrosse community. I know its been a full month into the school year without a post, but I promise I'll keep everyone posted from here on out, and now for the new guy...  My name is Mike Lind, a senior defenseman and captain from Garden City, Long Island (sorry upstate fans, another Long Island perspective).  I'm a history education major and, sadly enough, already looking into my future grad school program to continue my goal of one day becoming a high school teacher.  I am the youngest of six children and to save your time, I wont go through all of their stories and background, but I will give you their names in order; Kirsten, Eric, Eileen, Kathryn, Janine, myself, and my parents Mary Ann and Albert.  My time at Plattsburgh has been extremely enjoyable, and although I came in as a middie and miss scoring goals ( all four of them) the time I have spent being part of this program has been awesome.  I'm excited to take the realm of the blog for the remainder of the year, and I hope I can live up to the legends such as Dan DeFrancesco, who I am sure will critique my every post...
...Getting back into the team, we have been extremely busy so far this fall.  We are just about to wrap up the third week of our fall ball season, and the players' sleep patterns have been altered to say the least.  Due to time restraints on the turf, we have been having late practices, which wouldn't be to bad if it weren't for the 6am workouts.  Although the lack of sleep and the hard workouts have been a mental and physical drain for the squad, the team has done well coming together and knowing that everything we do now will help extend our season this upcoming spring.  As a team, we couldn't be more excited with the talent and personality we have this year, and I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say we wont be satisfied till we have that SUNYAC champiosnhip...We have two more weeks of fall ball left, with the McGill game coming up next Friday, the 12th and the alumni game the following week on Saturday the 20th, which is always fun and  great getting the old-timers back in the burgh...
...Aside from practice and training, the team has been plenty busy with community service and other events.  Certain members have been helping out with the new youth team established here in Plattsburgh.  The kids love it when the college players come, and although it seems like just a nice thing to do, the building of a youth program is huuuge for making Plattsburgh into a lacrosse community.  These young kids are some of our biggest fans, and maybe one day will be future stars, but for now they're doing their part in getting lacrosse popular in the North Country.  Aside from that, we have participated in the Buddy Walk, a great annual event to bring awareness to Down Syndrome, the Bed Race to try and raise money to multiple charities, and we were also invited to join in on the parade festivities in honor of the Battle of Plattsburgh.  Once again, the team, headed by head coach Ryan Cavanagh, has been working hard in their main fundraiser, St. Baldrick's.  This is a great foundation to raise money and awareness for children suffering from cancer.  Our team has set a goal to raise $10,000, and anyone who is interested in donating can do so through our St. Baldrick's page: http://www.stbaldricks.org/search/everythingresults/searchValue/cardinals+clip+cancer/submitEverything/Search/ .  The team and other members of the campus will also be shaving our heads on Oct. 12th, at Olive Ridley's.  If you have already donated or helped out in any way, thank you!  All events were for great causes and the community really appreciates seeing the athletes out there helping out...
...I know this was a little of a long post, but the team really has been quite busy so far this fall.  I will post more frequently from here on out, and I hope everyone can attend the McGill or Alumni game.  We truly have one of the best fan bases out there, and I thank you guys for that.  Lastly, the guys this morning, departing from the campus at roughly 4:30 a.m., hiked up Poke-O-Moonshine, a peak roughly thirty minutes away from school.  Although it was an early morning, I think it's fair to say we saw some of the best views some of our eyes have ever seen, especially for us Long Island folks.  Attackman Timmy Lawrence set up his go pro to take pictures of the rising sun every five seconds, and the final product came out awesome.  Hopefully by next post I can have those up for you to view in a video format.  But for now, enjoy the extended weekend, and once again, Welcome Back!

We left it on the field...

Oh man this sucks... On the eve of the SUNYAC Championship, I sit here in my room wishing I was instead down in Cortland in a hotel room. Things do not always go the way you want them to sometimes, and this happens to be one of those times.

Having little time until the highly desired rematch, we took full advantage of what could of been our last full practice. That afternoon, from start to finish, we knew we would give ourselves the best opportunity to win if we worked extremely hard in the areas we saw we needed improvement after the first game. The offense worked on dodging hard and running our 'O' the way the system had been placed from day one. The defense worked on clearing and rides. The foshos worked on ground balls and scrappy battles at the X. Not one minute in my mind was wasted and it showed on Wednesday. We finished up the day with a long film session where we basically were able to see and understand our mistakes and missed opportunities.

 Not having practice Tuesday morning allowed most of the guys to attend their classes and send out emails to their professors informing them of the sudden disappearance. We were really fortunate this time around to have the entire team travel with no one having to be left behind. Coach Cavanagh worked his magic and I think it really did make a huge difference. The "flock" is only as strong as its weakest player, and those guys who might not have their opportunity right now still are able to contribute on the sideline in tremendous fashion. I mean you ask guys about Big Cheese and you know instantly what is going to be said about his presence on the sideline. Dirty Birds were officially flying low baby and off on our way to Geneseo, New York.

The bus ride Tuesday afternoon was nothing close to enjoyable, but behind the movies playing and earphones blaring were the thoughts of this game. I know personally, all I could think about was what I was going to do differently. I had it all mapped and planned out. The images and ideas kept running through my mind like a song on repeat. Gratefully, we did not return to the monstrosity of a hotel that we stayed in the previous trip (sorry coach). With a good night rest and an enjoyable breakfast and lunch, the stage was pretty much set. There was nothing else to do but play, and we knew it . The locker room was quiet and packed with tensions and anxiety. Speaking for myself but I am sure most of the team would agree that this was going to be the biggest game any of us had ever played. Yeah, a lot of us have played in high school championships, but this was different. I have played in a few championship high school football games, and in the biggest one of them all, I had to step up and play my starting position on defense while also fulfilling my job as the second string quarterback after our starting quarterback got injured. All I can say is that those feelings as a junior in front of 4,000 people honestly did not skim the surface of how I felt in that old locker room Wednesday afternoon. Looking around seeing everyone dialing in, starring either down at the ground or up at the ceiling, I was pumped...

The game could not have gone any better in terms of external factors. We were focused, humble, and ready to shut them up. I just think it came down to opportunities and with huge missing pieces to our success all year such as junior Tommy Kilderry (suffered a concusion the last game), freshman Nick Parrella (ejected form the last game, carries a one game suspension), sophomore Charlie Dullea (who has been out with a torn hamstring, but due to the loss of Parella attempted to give it a go), and Joey Krammer (who did eventually play, but suffered a high ankle sprain that limited his mobility greatly the game before). We were walking in man down, but we were determined and were going to fight to the end. The game started the way any team would want. The opening face-off led to a fast break pass to Joey who was robbed in front by the goalie. Even with a turn over we were still able to go up on the board first. All game it was back and forth, back and forth. At the end of the day we had some shots that we wish would have been a little better, some defensive plays that we wish would have not happened, and some face-offs that I wish I could have contested better. Having said all that,  NOTHING that happened during that entire game was due to a lack of focus, preparation, desire, will, or heart. We left it on that gross grass field and every player and coach knows it. It just was not enough that day.

The history throughout this conference is unbelievable, and it is more inspiring and personal when you wear the letters across your chest of the team who is the underdog, year after year.
Here are some facts listed in the SUNYAC website.

Top 15 Countdown: Things You Really Need To Know

1. 2012 marks the 11^th annual SUNYAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship.

2. This is the second time in tournament history that Plattsburgh has qualified for the tournament (previously appearing in 2009).

3. Cortland and Geneseo have qualified for the tournament every year, while Oneonta will be making its ninth appearance.
4. Cortland has served as the number #1 seed in the tournament nine times and Geneseo has been the #1 seed twice.

5. The #1 and #2 seeds have advanced to the finals every year of the tournament.

6. The #2 seed has won the Championship four times (2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009).

7. The championship game has featured a Cortland v Geneseo matchup eight times (2003-2010). The first tournament in 2002 was Cortland v Oneonta and the 2011 tournament was Cortland v Potsdam.

8. Cortland has won eight tournament titles and Geneseo has won two (2004 and 2007).

9. Cortland is the league’s hottest team entering the SUNYAC Tournament. The Red Dragons are undefeated this season at 16-0 and rank second in the nation. 
10. Oneonta’s only SUNYAC playoff win was in 2002 against Oswego.

11. Plattsburgh has never won a post-season game.
12. Geneseo is 10-8 in SUNYAC post-season play including 1-0 against the Cardinals.

This program will change these facts one day, I am sure of it...

I just have to take a deep breath from that. I am for a loss of words when I even try to explain what those last minutes truly felt like, looking up at the score board, knowing it was over. How badly I would have wanted to get one more chance at a tie game, 6-6, when we were trailing by 1, and just give my team that possession in what ever fashion and just giving us that shot to win it. I know it would have been different. I know Tucker wishes he could have made one more check or hit earlier in the game that might of caused a change. I know Caufield wishes he was on that field and not on the sideline. What I really know though is that will never happen, but it sure does feel good to dream.

Well enough.. So what is going on now? The semester is coming to an end very soon and the work just seems like it is never going to end even when the semester is long over. I am currently compiling all the film we have so I can begin an end of the year highlight film. I still have a list of things to blog about such as the careers of the three seniors, individual and team accolades, end of the year awards, switch up game, and then I guess my short time at being the author of this blog will be over. I will also have a blog where I post a bunch of photos as well, probably when the video is complete, just so you all can have some to enjoy, and that will probably be it. I hope to have another post before the semester ends but I cannot promise.

I cannot believe it is basically over... Have a great night, and hope to hear from me soon

-Mike Santi #12

This is it...

It is a very simple concept that has been around since the creation of sports. "Win or go home." Simply put, nice and sweet, and right to the point. Wednesday we beat Geneseo and live to fight another day, or lose and reminisce about the highlights of this season. What is it going to be boys?

I really can not write right now without pouring out all my emotions of Saturday's loss on this page. All I can say is it does not feel like it is our time to go home. I can not really put it in words. If you witnessed Saturday's game you would know what I mean. Playing a game that can easily be summed up as our sloppiest game played this season, we are determined to make Wednesday one hell of a rematch. I am not going to sit here and point fingers at this or that, but I know that personally this could be my last game in a Plattsburgh State uniform and I am going to go balls to the wall. Saturday was tough because I did not play one of my best games, and I let one of my flaws overtake me and it took me out of my game. I feel bad for my teammates, because with a couple of more possessions out of me it could have been a different game early on, but mentally I am moving on and am excited that I get a rematch. I think Tucker Glass needs to be talked about. A senior captain who played beyond expectations, absolutely shutting down one of their deadly offensive players in the second half. I know he is greatly excited for the opportunity that is in front of us. I know that every player wishes they can take back some part of Saturday if you ask them, but that is what is so awesome, is that on Wednesday, everything you wanted to take back you can do differently.

On the bus ride home, Tucker could not have said it any better.  I am paraphrasing, but this is close..."We will think about what we did on the ride home and we will come out Monday and Tuesday and outwork them, and then on Wednesday we will run them off the field..." I think Wednesday you can expect us to play some great lacrosse, and mistakes are going to be made, but we will make fewer, and if we play how we are capable then that bus ride home is going to feel a lot different.

I have little to say... this is the biggest lacrosse game that I have ever been a part of and my demeanor has just completely changed right since we arrived home. I know this has been short, not detailed, not sweet, or anything, but right now there is nothing to be up about other then the fact that we have another shot at these guys. That is all... See you Wednesday.

-Mike Santi #12

#whydoyouplay lacrosse part 2....

Playoffs! You wanna talk about playoffs?! Ya kiddin me?... Except not this time

What a day yesterday turned out to be! Unbelievable. Playoff implications, rain, senior day, and a team who ruined our season last year, all on one field. So last blog I explained what exactly was on the line for yesterday's game. Win and your in, three seed automatically, playing Geneseo next weekend for the two seed. Lose and next weekend would basically be a must win. The lesson yesterday that I think was clearly evident, was when playing in-conference games you should throw out all the earlier box scores and statistics, because it does not mean crap. On paper, are we the better team, with record and statistics to show it? Yes. Would that make Brockport bend over and surrender to us? Certainly not. They knew what they accomplished last season, after defeating us allowed them to earn the 4th seed in the conference tournament while knocking us out with the tiebreaker, and they were determined to do it again.
With weather not particularly on our side, it was going to be a battle of wills. With warm-ups going quite similar to that of Potsdams, I was taking back when I realized how much trash-talking they were capable of. With a first quarter much similar to that of the Potsdam game, worrisome emotions were starting to awake. 5-1 at the end of the first quarter resulted completely in time of possession heavily favored by them, sloppy defense, and a sloppy start at the X by myself. Fighting back in the second, hard rides, face-off wins, and transition play are what really closed the gap for us. Always down by one or two it was always a nail biter. Back and forth we rallied in the second half, until huge saves, I mean HUGE -like enormous- like mammoth, saves by Gordie are what kept us alive and fighting to the end. With our attack really taking advantage of their skill sets, we were able to generate most of our offense through them. Sophomore Anthony Pafundi with an over hand high to low shot is what tied it up at 9, with about 3 minutes left. Even with the ensuing face-off victory, it was still not enough to keep us out of overtime. Overtime was nerve racking. Both teams had possessions during the 4 minute period, and with a shot by Travers that was an inch or "post" away from being the game winner, we were heading to double OT. In double overtime and the face-off possession, I remember just running off, taking a knee, and feeling my stomach twist and turn as I watched on. It was probably a two minute possession until Kildo, using his strength and quickness, backed into their largest defensemen and with a couple of quick rocker turns shot a lefty bouncer right past the goalie's hips. Game-Set-Blouses. And here is what happened next...

 

 

I think you get the idea. It felt just amazing. Personally it has been the main goal and I almost want to say expectation, since my class arrived. Make playoffs. "You guys are a young team, who when you are junior and seniors will be a very good team." Well we are that very good team right now. However, with all feelings sky high right now, we must come back down and focus on the entire next week. We have a huge out of conference game against RPI, who has been in and out of the top 20 the entire season.

With a ton of work to do right now, I do not have time to talk about senior day and the three guys it was shared with in this blog. I will make a blog dedicated to the three of us, similar to how DeFran did for his class, but maybe I will do that when the season is officially over, because right now we are not going anywhere. So stay tuned for that. I am also getting good footage for the "I play Lacrosse because" video, and I plan to have that out pretty soon. 

Until next time... Mike Santi #12