Danes play on without top scorer
Game vs. Umass Lowell is first for team since Nanticoke’s dismissal
The University at Albany men’s lacrosse team probably doesn’t need dynamic attack Tehoka Nanticoke to beat Umass Lowell.
The Great Danes have won all six meetings with the River Hawks entering their game at 3 p.m. Saturday at John Fallon Field. None of the previous contests were closer than five goals, including a 25-0 shellacking in 2015.
But the Great Danes won’t be without Nanticoke for just this contest. His career as a Great Dane is over after he was dismissed “based on internal team issues,” the program announced on Wednesday.
Ualbany head coach Scott Marr downplayed any adjustments the team will have to make post-nanticoke. He pointed out the Tewaaraton Award finalist had already missed the opener against Colgate and a game against Massachusetts. Ualbany won both contests.
“We’ve had two games already this year without him in the lineup due to COVID (protocols) and (America East) suspension,” Marr said. “We’re prepared to move forward kind of as we’ve prepared all year with anybody on the team who can’t be in the lineup. We have people in place and guys who have played all season, so it’s not an adjustment at all.”
Ualbany scored 15 goals against Colgate and 13 against 13th-ranked Umass without Nanticoke, the former No. 1 high school recruit in the nation.
“If you watch the Umass game and the Colgate game compared to other games, we might just move the ball a
little bit differently without him in the lineup and I think the guys play a little bit freer in a sense, so I think we play more as a unit than we do necessarily, so we’ll see,” Marr said. “The games we’ve played without him, there’s not the thought process of getting the ball to him so much as it is just getting the ball to somebody.”
Besides moving on without Nanticoke, Ualbany (4-2 overall, 2-2 America East) is trying to rebound from a 16-10 loss at Stony Brook last Saturday. In that match, the Great Danes fell behind 6-1 and never could pull even with the Seawolves.
If nothing else, the Great Danes won’t overlook Umass Lowell (1-4, 1-3), according to senior midfielder Alex Burgmaster.
“We definitely can’t overlook any team going forward, especially every team in our conference, which has been getting better over the years,” Burgmaster said. “Especially coming after a loss, you really have to dig deep and focus even more for the next game, no matter who you’re playing.”
Ualbany freshman attack Logan Tucker had a careerhigh four goals in the loss to Stony Brook and could see an even more prominent role with Nanticoke gone. He has started the past three matches.
“It was really nice to have that performance,” Tucker said. “It would have been a lot better to have it with a win. My teammates get credit for all of it, just finding me in the right spots.”
Tucker said the Great Danes won’t get caught looking past Umass Lowell to their match at fourthranked Syracuse on Thursday at the Carrier Dome.
“I don’t think it’s more challenging,” Tucker said. “As a player you have to focus on the next game, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on all week.”
Ualbany will play with fans in the stands at John Fallon Field for the first time. The Great Danes are allowed 200 guests of players and coaches, following Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s order this week allowing limited attendance at college games in New York.
Note: Ualbany senior attack Jakob Patterson was added Friday to the watch list for the Tewaaraton, given to the outstanding player in college lacrosse. Patterson, a graduate attack, has four goals and 13 assists in four games.
msingelais@timesunion.com
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