Explosive offense leads Irish against Nittany Lions
By STEVE KEPPEL
Sports Writer
After weeks of practice and preparation, the men's lacrosse team will take on the Nittany Lions of Penn State at home Sunday.
A team that is usually marked by its tough defensive play, Notre Dame will have a much more experienced and explosive offense to lead them this year. Despite the loss of second all-time leading goal scorer Chris Dusseau, the Irish attack will have many offensive weapons that should help them make their way back to the NCAA Tournament.
"We got a couple of guys — John Harvey and Owen Asplundh — who are going to step into Chris' role," said head coach Kevin Corrigan. "Chris had one role that he did extremely well; he was a scorer and a finisher. I think they can replace his [Dusseau's] points and maybe get a few more assists out of the position as well," said Corrigan.
Returning from last year's attack will be two of the nation's top players, juniors David Ulrich and Tom Glatzel. Last season they had 89 points between them. The coaching staff said that the pair have improved greatly in the off-season and will be a big part of the offense.
"They [Ulrich and Glatzel] are playing good lacrosse right now," says Corrigan. "They are smarter, and both of them worked hard to be a little bit better physically and will be able to take more of a pounding and be a little more forceful with their moves out there."
The midfield of the Irish, like the offense, is full of experience and talent. Juniors Steve Bishko and Todd Ulrich, who were among last season's scoring leaders, will anchor the midfield once again. The well-balanced midfield may also see the likes of exciting freshman John Souch, who will make his collegiate debut Sunday.
It seems that the Irish have an abundance of experience everywhere except for the defense. The usually solid defense has lost three of their four starters to graduation. The newcomers will need to step up their play for the Irish to be successful.
"The guys who are stepping in on defense are athletic. We may be a bit faster down there, which should help us," said Corrigan. "If these guys prove that we can play smart and consistent, I think we will have a better defense than even last years."
The young defense should benefit from the experience of second year goalkeeper Kirk Howell, who had a solid year in front of the net last season. Howell stepped in and showed great poise and surprised many by his performance under pressure. Howell will switch roles this season to a defensive leader.
"Kirk is more in command of the defense and needs to become more of a field general now than he was last year," Corrigan said.
If the defense holds up, the Irish should be in a good position come Sunday. Despite the athletic ability and speed of Penn State, Corrigan said that if they stick to their game, they will play them tough.
"Our plan is to do things that we do well. We want to be consistent," Corrigan said. "We don't want to get into a racehorse game. Penn State is always athletic, and we need to be smart about what we are doing on both offense and defense."
The Nittany Lions came away with a 13-8 victory when the two teams battled last year. This year's squad is a different team and is looking to come out strong and start the season with a victory.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 25, 2000
