Why Nobody Wants to Face Shrewsbury Lacrosse Right Now
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
"I think as a team we just said to ourselves that we can roll over and die, or we can fight our way out of this hole," Shrewsbury coach Nate Skermont said of his team's 3-6 start. "And we decided we were going to fight."
The Colonials now sit at 7-7 after stringing together four consecutive wins in the Mid Wach A league and dropping a close one to Framingham. Shrewsbury now looks up only at league leader Algonquin, and even the coach of the Tomahawks has expressed concern with playing the Colonials.
"(Shrewsbury is) the best 3-6 team in Central Mass," Algonquin coach Rich Luongo said days after his team edged Shrewsbury 8-6. "(They) will be a sniper in the tournament if they can get on a roll. Bryan Parsons is one of the best defensemen in the area."
Getting Defensive
It has been that signature defense that has made Shrewsbury so tough to play, and Parsons is certainly a huge part of it. While he is always given the assignment of spotting the opposing team's best attacker, the
The Shrewsbury defense has been nearly impossible to score on lately.
"We all work together as one unit," Parsons said. "Each game I may be covering the other team's top scorer, but it's not me vs him, it's their attack vs our defense. We do a great job communicating and if one of us gets beat, we know the other guys will be there."
Shrewsbury has allowed fewer than five goals a game during its current four-game league winning streak. Skermont says what makes his defensive players' effort even more impressive is that the team is not scheming defenses for different teams. All the success Shrewsbury has had defensively has come with its defenders playing straight up man-to-man defense.
Staying Patient
The Colonials also like slow things down offensively, often bringing games to a pace uncomfortable for teams that like to run. Skermont says that his team's patience offensively has taken more than a few teams off their game.
"Our mentality offensively is to dictate the pace," Skermont said. "We want to dictate the speed the game is played at, and we see teams shuffling their lineups and moving midfielders up to attack and things like that. It's just because they're uncomfortable and frustrated."
The Shrewsbury offense came alive two weeks ago in a break-through 12-5 win over Nashoba. The Colonials were lead by three goals and a pair of assists from junior Luke Warner, who also recorded a hat trick against Westborough the following week. The offense has gotten a continued solid play from junior Cam Kerr who leads Shrewsbury in scoring with 32 points (20G, 12A).
The Colonials now have two big league games looming this week, beginning today against Groton-Dunstable. A win today would put the Colonials in great position for a postseason berth, and win Thursday over Algonquin would all but assure it. One thing is for sure, the Colonials are not lacking confidence.
"We're playing well lately," Warner said. "We're putting points on the board and the defense is shutting people down. We've really started to hit out groove, and that's what it's all about."
Shrewsbury plays today at home against Groton-Dunstable. Face off is scheduled for 4 pm.
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