2014 Record: 5-8 overall, 0-5 in the American East Conference, 2-3 at Home, 1-5 Away
2014 in Review:
The regular season was nothing short of a complete and utter disappointment for the Catamounts. They finished 0-5 in conference play, which marks the 10th straight year of losing records for the team. They have not had a winning record as a team since the 2005-06 season when the team finished 9-5.
Having now been mired in the basement of the American East for the past 10 years, the Vermont Catamounts come into 2015 with one of the younger rosters in the sport of men’s lacrosse in the American East. Sixty percent of the roster is comprised of underclassmen (24 out of the 40 member team), this youth is both a blessing and a curse because Head Coach Ryan Curtis will have to manage a raw team that needs time to mature and develop while also needing to succeed and win.
The Vermont Catamounts in 2014 took 515 shots on goal during the year, scoring only 131 times, or roughly 10 goals a game. The league average in goals scored was 11 with the number of goals per team totaling 143 for the entire season. The Catamounts averaged only a .254 shot percentage compared to the league’s standard .300.
The team won only 43 percent of faceoffs against other teams while the league maintains a 57 percent average, showing that they struggle to win control of the game at the outset, leading to fewer opportunities for the team overall.
2015 Prediction:
The Catamounts will face (at the time of publication) two top 15 teams in the nation when they play No. 14 Penn State at University Park, PA to start the season and No. 12 Albany in the 12th week of the season at home in Burlington, Vermont. Otherwise, the schedule is comprised of tough games versus Hartford and Binghamton. It would be surprising to see the Catamounts win a game in conference this year.
