The Northeastern conference is looking fierce this season. All seven teams have put in much hard work, and it will be an exciting season to look forward to. With Bryant, Hobart, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac, and Wagner in the conference this season, it is bound to be a year of talented players playing great games.
Bryant is back in action, hoping to improve their overall 8-11 finish from last season. The Bulldogs record from last year does not reflect how hard they worked last season, as most of their losses were by one or two goals. Their senior captain, Matt MacGrotty, is back and ready to dominate the league.
I personally think that the Bulldogs are going to have a season that is one for the books, as their first line midfield is composed of two players who are top picks for the MLL draft, and another who is the NEC’s rookie of the year. The Bulldogs will kick off the season on February 8, 2014 against Colgate.
Next, Robert Morris returns to the NEC with head coach Andrew McMinn, who has a very optimistic outlook on the Colonial’s season, despite the fact that they are only playing five of their 14 scheduled games at home. Last season ended for Robert Morris with their fifth-straight winning season.
The Colonials and McMinn are also very excited about the return of Sean Meagher, who last season earned the title of Defensive Player of the year in the NEC, and Eric Rankel, who was selected to the NEC first team. Rankel will definitely create a force to be reckoned with, as this will only be his sophomore season with the Colonials. Robert Morris’s season opener is February 15, 2014 against Bellarmine in Kentucky.
Wagner College is looking to make some big improvements to their program from the upsetting 1-12 overall record last season. Coach Poskay looks forward to a season with 10 new freshman recruits. He stated that the newcomers will all see playing time and have a chance to influence the team.
The coaching staff think that this group of freshmen are having no trouble meshing with the older players, and that they are just as talented and determined as a player who has had three previous seasons under his belt. The Seahawks first match is February 15, 2014 against Lafayette in Easton, PA.
Mount St. Mary’s has a new assistant coach on board for the 2014 season. Joe Cinosky has replaced Travis Johnson. Cinosky was formerly an assistant volunteer at Duke, where he helped lead their defensemen to great successes. The program will certainly benefit from having a fresh perspective on the coaching staff, and hopefully they can improve their record from the past season, from 6-9 into a more winning one. Mount St. Mary’s first game will be held on February 8, 2014 at Maryland.
In Hamden, Connecticut, Quinnipiac and their Head Coach Eric Fekete are looking forward to a challenging season. The Bobcats have made incredible progress since last season, and Fekete believes they are up for the task. The four captains, Gill Conners, Brandon Kuring, Michael Sagl, and Greg Pendergast are some of the top contributors to the team, and have had at least two years of experience with the Bobcats.
Quinnipiac is looking to surpass their 6-8 record from last year, and hopefully they will be able to do so, despite the difficult schedule facing them this season. Six of their 14 games will be played at home, and their season begins with a match at Dartmouth on February 8.
Lastly, Sacred Heart rounds out the Northeastern Conference for the 2014 season. With newly chosen coach Jon Basti behind them, the Pioneers are hoping to have one of their most productive seasons yet. The coaching staff and players are looking forward to improving their overall 3-11 record from the 2013 season.
This shouldn’t be too difficult, however, the Pioneers lost a lot of talented seniors with the close of the 2013 season. The Pioneers will play their first three games at home, starting with Binghamton on February 16.
This season in the NEC is looking promising for the hard-working teams across the conference, and it will be interesting to see who ends up with the wins.
