This post originally appeared at Collegelax.us
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 21, 2006
The UConn Huskies are the next Riddell Lacrosse MDIA Team of the Week for 2006. Riddell Lacrosse invites all lacrosse players to ‘Start a Revolution of your own’ at www.RiddellLacrosse.com today!
Last week, the Huskies defeated Worcester Polytechnic Institute 19 – 3 on Wednesday before upsetting No. 19 Northeastern 8 – 7 in triple overtime on Friday evening.
Freshman Justin Oliver (Mystic, CT) scored the game winning goal on a bounce shot to win the Northeastern game. Oliver finished the contest with a game high 4 goals. Freshman goalie Brandon Pepe (Orange, CT) added 15 saves, limiting Northeastern to only 1 goal after the half.
UConn Head Coach Dino Mattessich has an extensive background in the sport. The former head coach of the University of Baltimore and the University of Maryland, Mattesich is now the Associate Athletic Director at UConn.
“Northeastern is a good team with great players. We were fortunate to win the game. Our team is not overly talented, but we are fundamentally sound. We don’t beat ourselves. We do things by a committee and play with a lot of grit and determination,” said Mattessich.
UConn has now posted 7 consecutive victories to earn their first ranking of the season in the Shamrock Top 25 poll. The win streak is the teams’ longest since 2001. The Huskies are No. 25 in the rankings that were announced this past Wednesday on USLIA.com.
“We are very pleased about our season. Last year, we were 4 – 9. 7 – 1 is a tremendous turnaround,” noted Mattesich. “In both of our one-goal wins (BU and Northeastern); we were down the whole game. Our keeper made some big saves down the stretch to give us a chance to win at the end.”
The former Division 1 varsity coach also discussed the rapid growth of the MDIA.
“The growth of the MDIA is a double edged sword. It gives club guys a chance to play, but it allows some schools an out. The game is obviously growing all over the country, but intercollegiate (varsity) lacrosse is not growing. However, I’m really impressed with the talent at this level. It’s a good league with great players and it’s a great experience for everyone involved,” said Mattesich.
UConn plays its two final Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League (PCLL) games this week. The Huskies host Boston College on Friday night. The game is crucial to the PCLL Division A tournament seedings. Next Tuesday (4/25), UConn will face Rhode Island on the road. The team is jockeying for final positioning for the upcoming PCLL playoffs, April 27-30 at Worcester, Mass.
“The top two seeds get first round byes. Finishing (the regular season) with two more wins is huge,” added Mattesich.
For their efforts last week, UConn Lacrosse wins a prize pack from Riddell Lacrosse including one Riddell Lacrosse Helmet customized in Connecticut colors.
For more information on UConn Lacrosse, visit:
http://www.uconnlacrosse.com/
Riddell Lacrosse equipment and apparel is distributed exclusively by Shamrock Lacrosse.
For more information on Riddell Lacrosse equipment and the Riddell Lacrosse helmet, please visit:
http://www.riddelllacrosse.com/
About Shamrock Lacrosse Inc.
http://www.shamrocklax.com/
Based in East Hanover, NJ, Shamrock Lacrosse is a nine-year old company. Founded with the intent of supporting the growth of lacrosse, the company is known for the reliability of its products, its virtually unbreakable lacrosse shafts, its innovative design for gloves and pads and its broad line of accessories such as balls, goals, bags and stringing kits. Shamrock Lacrosse actively supports the grass roots development of men’s and women’s lacrosse. The company sponsors lacrosse camps and leagues, tournaments and clinics across the country. Shamrock is a Lacrosse Company run by lacrosse players – several employees are professional players and many others have played and coached at the highest levels of the game.
