May 27, 1999
"Adversity." It's a term that every coach, of every sport, at every level uses. How teams deal with it is usually a measure of how good they are. The 1999 Fairfield University men's lacrosse team faced plenty of it, and dealt with it pretty well.
Going into the season, fourth year head coach Ted Spencer knew his team would be taking on it's toughest schedule ever. Thanks to that difficult schedule he assembled, he knew a year in advance that the Stags would have to deal with adversity day in and day out. He didn't know how much of it though. He didn't know and couldn't know, that he'd be faced with several key injuries right from day one. Despite playing with a decimated roster, they perservered - another measure of championship teams.
The Stags relinquished their MAAC crown to Mount St. Mary's for the first time in league history during the regular season, but overcame the injuries and defeats to prove that they are and will be a force to be reckoned with. By season's end, the Stags were once again ECAC Tournament champions, stamping the season with an eight-goal win in the semi-finals over St. Joseph's and a 15-4 drubbing of Mount St. Mary's in the championship game. It was the third straight year Fairfield finished with at least ten wins as they closed out the season at 10-7. Not bad for a team that played four of the nation's top 25 teams.
It was quite a year for individuals as well, including senior co-captain J.T. Groarke. The attackman went down with an injury in the Stags' opening day 15-2 win over Quinnipiac. After missing five games, Groarke didn't waste any time putting up the big numbers Stag fans had been used to seeing. In his second game back, Groarke put on a display by dishing out six assists to tie his own single game record in a 15-3 win over Manhattan. He repeated the feat just over two weeks later in a 20-4 win over Canisius, the fifth time in his career he handed out six assists in a single game. Despite missing five games Groarke finished as the Stags' and MAAC leader with 29 assists and was second on the team with 41 points.
Junior co-captain Spencer Steele enjoyed one of the best individual season's in the history of Fairfield men's lacrosse. The attackman set a new single season record with a remarkable 48 goals and tied Matt Callaghan's single season record of 75 points. In a 13-5 win over Harvard, Steele almost single-handedly beat the Crimson, tying the single game record at Fairfield with six goals. That wouldn't be his best effort though as he set a new record by tallying seven goals in the ECAC Tournament semi-finals and then added four more in the championship game. All totaled, Steele recorded 11 goals and seven assists in the two games as he ran away with the ECAC Tournament MVP award. That wasn't his only accolade as he was named MAAC Player of the year and also became the first Stag to ever earn First Team All-New England honors.
Coach Spencer was able to see a bright future as he watched several other underclassmen shine in 1999. Sophomore Peter Shanley, who also missed four games due to injury, finished fourth on the team with 31 points on 21 goals and 10 assists as he earned All-MAAC honors as well as Second Team All-New England honors. Classmate Jason Bukowsky also stepped up with 17 points to earn All-MAAC honors and junior Jim Reichert finished strong with 25 points on 21 goals and four assists. The freshmen also rose to the top with Marc Torrey headlining the rookie class. Torrey finished second on the team with 31 goals and third with 36 points. Shaun Graham also had a stellar first season, netting 17 goals and dishing out four assists.
It takes a strong defense to win championships and the Stags put the league's best on the field, allowing just 8.71 goals per game. Sophomore Josh Olson earned the starting goaltending job midway through the season and made the most of the opportunity. Olson posted a solid .582 save percentage and an outstanding 9.36 goals against average as he was on his way to earning six of the Stags' wins. Five Stags that also deserve recognition for their defensive play are Wes Matthews, D.J. Tobin, Brad Edgar, Terrance Riley and Brian McLane. This combination anchored that defensive wall and also chipped in on offense. Tobin contributed two goals and an assist while Matthews and Riley combined for three more assists. McLane led the group with 12 points on five goals and seven assists. For their efforts, Matthews, Tobin and McLane were all selected to the All-MAAC team, giving the Stags a league-high six players to earn the honor.
Now it's time to think about next year. Think about this - the Stags lose only three seniors from the 1999 championship squad. Granted they are key seniors, but now think about this - six of the team's top seven scoring threats return in the year 2000, and Josh Olson's 9.36 goals against average will also once again be a factor. A roster doesn't stay much more intact than this one. Add one of the program's finest recruiting classes entering this fall and coach Spencer and the Stags are ready to face that adversity again next spring.
