LEWISTON, Maine -- Now in his 20th year leading the Bates men's lacrosse team, head coach
Peter Lasagna recalls an adage that has held true throughout his 38-year coaching career.
"For as long as I have been blessed to coach college lacrosse, the answer to one statement consistently defines a team's ultimate success: 'You are as good as your seniors,'" said Lasagna. "I believe we have an exceptional class of 2020."
Bates reached the 10-win mark for the fourth time in five years in 2019. The Bobcats' 10-5 record was nothing to scoff at, but it also belied how strong the team really was. All five losses came against teams ranked among the top seven in the final Division III national poll (Amherst, Williams, RIT, Tufts).
Two of the captains of that squad remain captains in their senior seasons, and they're both All-Americans, in record-breaking attackman Matt Chlastawa (Westfield, Mass.) and midfielder Curtis Knapton (Westbrook, Maine). Senior defender William Holland (Ridgewood, N.J.) completes the team's trio of captains, and all three were named to the preseason All-New England team by the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.
Bates' senior class goes much deeper than the captains. Fourteen players deep, in fact, many of whom have contributed to many victories in their careers already -- the likes of senior goalkeeper Rob Strain (Montclair, N.J.), defender Frank Spitz (Gladwyne, Pa.), midfielders R.J. Sarka (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), Walker Cooney (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and Sean Clark (Mill Valley, Calif.), and attackers Otis Klingbeil (Powell, Ohio) and Brendan Mullally (Baltimore, Md.).
"These young men have experienced the greatest success of any Bates lacrosse team so far, in 2017," said Lasagna, referring to Bates' Elite Eight team of four seasons ago. "Through their time they have developed the highest possible expectations and standards. More importantly, they take action every day, serve as examples every day, to move towards their goals. They are ideal mentors because they are so invested in our program."
Bates will need every penny of that investment to succeed through another grueling schedule. The slate begins Saturday at UMass-Amherst, where the Bobcats will take on No. 5 nationally ranked RIT at neutral Garber Field for the third consecutive season. The Tigers are a perennial power and were national semifinalists in 2019, and the Bobcats gave them one of their toughest battles of the season on Feb. 23, 2019, where RIT prevailed 14-12.
"With six days (of practice) to prepare for a perennial Final Four team like RIT, we need to grow up really quickly," said Lasagna. "Every other school in the NESCAC is at the same next level, ready to break through and do what (2019 NCAA finalist and semifinalist) Amherst and Williams did last year."
Bates will host Babson on Wednesday at 4pm on Garcelon Field, then hit the road again for its first NESCAC game on Feb. 29 at Wesleyan. In addition to NESCAC heavyweights like Amherst, Williams, Tufts and Wesleyan, who are all ranked among the top eight teams in Division III, Bates' non-conference slate includes Keene State and Western New England in addition to RIT and Babson.
A raft of talented juniors and sophomores will also make themselves known on the field for Bates. From the junior class, attackman Jack Scribner (Falmouth, Maine), midfielder Steven Canale (North Andover, Mass.), faceoff man Chris Costello (Ridgefield, Conn.), and defenders Will Haskell (Norwalk, Conn.), Andrew Lowman (Somers, N.Y.) and Peyton Weatherbie (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) all received major playing time a year ago. From the sophomore class, midfielder Jack Golden (Northport, N.Y.), Jack Lousararian (Mansfield, Mass.), attacker Dillon McManus (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and defender Dylan Williams (Sharon, Mass.) did as well.
Bates' coaching staff is enthusiastic about its first-year class of players as well.
"We are really excited about our first year people and equally excited to see the development of all of our classes a year later," said Lasagna. "I describe this team as athletic, deep and skilled. The gap between the starters and the next man in, at every position, is as tight as it's ever been in my time at Bates."
The excitement is palpable for a team that aims to return to the top 25 polls quickly, and further on to the NCAA tournament.
"The 2020 Bobcats will play fast, defend aggressively and create as much positive mayhem as humanly possible," said Lasagna. "We are very excited for the opportunities ahead."
