 "Photo: Loyola College Athletics")
By Dave Lomonico Sports Editor
It was the middle of October and already you could sense it.
Sense what?
"The flow," senior captain Shane Koppens said.
The flow?
"Man, against Maryland and Navy in the fall, we were just flowing."
Somehow, even if you didn't understand, you couldn't help but believe his words. Koppens, one of Loyola's four co-captains, has seen plenty of changes over four years on the lacrosse team, but this year - his senior year - Koppens senses something different.
So what is it?
"The flow."
I still didn't get it, but was quickly assured by Koppens and fellow senior captain Paul Richards that not many people do "get" the Hounds this year.
Loyola lost 80 percent of their offense from last year. There are freshmen in the starting lineup and at top backup positions. Last year's backups have now been thrust into prime-time roles. On top of that there's a completely new offensive mindset, and the style of play will be foreign to all those familiar with the Greyhounds' normally deliberative style.
"We're much more athletic and versatile than we've ever been," Richards said. "We're going to catch people on their heels. We have athletes at every spot on the field, and we've never had that before."
Excuse Koppens for his aforementioned vagueness, but with all these changes, it's hard for him to describe the team. That doesn't mean he's not confident. In fact, it's just the opposite; he has that feeling - the one only a veteran of four years can have.
"We're a much better team, but people don't think anything of us now," Koppens said. "They're going to hear some names they haven't heard before, and we're going to shock a lot of people. They say we lost 80 percent of our scoring, but I think we can top that 80 percent right now."
Koppens: A knack for finding the net
Of course, few lacrosse-savvy individuals believe Koppens, but his words are genuine. You want to believe him. Koppens realizes, however, that for his prediction to come true, he'll have to do even more than last year, when he was the team's leading scorer with 46 points.
Off the field, there's a care-free, laid-back demeanor about the senior from Clifton Park, N.Y., and chances are you probably wouldn't notice if you passed him around Evergreen. He doesn't have the bulging muscular physique of Andy Spack, who graduated last year, nor does he have the aura of a star basketball player like Gerald Brown. In fact the bushy-haired, bespectacled Koppens looks anything but the part of a team captain.
On game day Koppens slowly dresses in the locker room before donning a helmet and a green No. 8 jersey. He grabs a pole, and meanders out to the field. He goes through a few warm-up tosses to keep loose, free-flowing.
Then the game begins. All of a sudden, there's an uncanny Incredible Hulk-like transformation, where the lean, 5-foot-11 college kid becomes a ferocious, unstoppable beast who can score at will.
"The offense goes through Shane," head coach Charley Toomey said. "Shane's our go-to guy."
Syracuse, whom he torched for three goals in '07, certainly agrees. Fairfield, where his six-point effort still stings Stags fans, bore the brunt of his veracity. And, my God, don't mention Shane Koppens' name around the State College of Pennsylvania.
On March 3 last year, Loyola found themselves deadlocked at nine with Penn State in the game's closing seconds. Koppens, who already had four points on the day, bulled his way through the defense, went airborne, then made a lighting-quick wrist flip to score the game-winning goal.
It's plays like these that separate Koppens from the pack; he's always had that knack for finding the net. But with the departure of offensive cogs like Spack, Greg Leonard, Dan Bauers, and Ryan Rabidou, Koppens has to work even harder to score.
And he'll take on even more responsibility as a captain, where he has a laundry list of items to work on.
"As captains, we [Koppens, Richards, David Moore] have a lot of decision making to do," Koppens said. "We have to settle the ball down, we have to get everyone organized, we have to be confident, we have to focus on the positives, we have to lead by example and we have to show all the younger guys the way."
Richards: The versatile, do-everything middie
Paul Richards remembers last year. The thrilling victories over Duke, Syracuse and Penn State; the veteran squad that reminded alumni of Loyola's glory years; the NCAA tournament appearance. It's what he envisioned when he came to Loyola over three years ago.
"When we came in as freshmen there was a big core of guys who brought the program back to where it deserves to be -- when it was ranked No. 1 in the country," Richards said. "We're working to get back to that point, and getting back to the tournament every year. It started last year, and it's our turn to carry on where they left off."
Richards refuses to talk about 2007 for too long. There were some good memories, but ultimately it left a bitter taste in his mouth when the Hounds lost in the NCAA tournament's first round to Albany. Only one team ever ends a season in triumph, and that team is the national champion.
"Last year's over; those [seniors] did a lot for the program, but they're gone now," Richards said. "We want to leave a different mark than Andy Spack. If you were to ask anyone what they'd rather have, an All-America award or a national championship, I think everyone would choose the national championship."
Those are lofty goals, but for someone as confident in his abilities as Richards, there's little he doesn't think he and his teammates can't achieve.
Losing 20-some seniors off of last year's squad? Forget it. Playing a top-five non-conference schedule? Bring it on.
Being asked to play offense, defense and on the wing during face-offs? Heck, Richards will grab a pair of goalie mitts if they asked him.
Be the first to comment on this article!