HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Coker University men's lacrosse team is ready to roll for its 2022 season, under head coach John Snow in his first season.
Snow has clear goals and expectations for his first season at the helm of the Cobras.
"My goal is to put a disciplined team on the field that understands how to play the game as a team as a unit," said Snow. " There's no individuals on the field, the only way we're going to be successful is if each person understands their role and how that benefits the team. We have to understand our identity as a team (play hard, play good team defense, clear the ball at 100% and control time of possession). If we can hold ourselves to this standard every day, and are committed to that standard, our expectations will be met."
The Cobras return 12 players from a season ago, all with game experience. The Cobras bring some experience to every position on the field, and Snow takes note of that.
We have several really talented returners that are going to play a much bigger role than last year.," said Snow. "Senior defenseman and captain Ryan Bass will be tasked with playing the other team's top attackman every game. He's a big physical defenseman that plays really good on-ball defense and is very good in communicating our slide packages. He will also be counted on a lot in the clearing game, as he handles the ball extremely well. Attackman and captain Cal Gibson will be our primary ball-handler on the offensive end. He will be the quarterback on the field, calling out the plays and settling our offense, making sure we're in the correct positions and executing our offensive sets. Cal is a good dodger of the ball, he's tough and he sees the field well. Captain Dominic Madlang is a big, strong, fast midfielder that will be counted on a lot to create offense and move the ball to the open man. He's a good dodger that has a very hard shot. Captain Henry Haskett was primarily a midfielder last year, will be stepping in as a starting attackman this year. He's a very smart player, that moves well off ball and has a very good shot. He understands the offense very well and will be a huge piece to the success of our team. Defensive midfielder Corey Gales will also play a huge role this year. He's a relentless player, that's extremely smart and is always in the right place at the right time. He never takes a play off and is the heartbeat of our defense."
The Cobras also add a total of 15 fresh faces to the mix this season, including four transfers.
Newcomer Zyaire Marshall is an extremely quick dodger who puts a lot of pressure on the defense with his speed and shiftiness," said Snow. "Justin Beighey is a crease attackman who cuts very well and is a good finisher of the ball. Jake Brundage is a very physical player that plays good on ball defense and is very active with his slides."
Snow believes that the two groups have learned to work together well, and that the chemistry will translate well on the field.
"I feel the newcomers have meshed very well with the returners, I think we came a long way in the fall in building solid relationships off the field, which really helped with the on the field cohesiveness," said Snow.
Snow notes that every man is expected to do their job to help the team to the best of their ability.
"My expectations are the same for every guy, as I mentioned previously, we have to the play the game as a team with every man doing his job to the best of their ability," said Snow. "It's all about the team."
The Cobras open the 2022 season on Feb. 6 against No. 10/14 Mount Olive, before hosting Colorado Mesa on Feb. 14. Coker finishes off the month of February with a three-game road swing at North Greenville (Feb. 19), Lander (Feb. 23) and Barton (Feb. 26). The South Atlantic Conference slate opens on Mar. 5 at No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne, before Coker hosts Wingate on Mar. 12. The Cobras then travel to Newberry (Mar. 16) and Chowan (Mar. 19), before hosting Lincoln Memorial (Mar. 26) and No. 18 Queens (N.C.) to round out the month of March. April opens with a two-game road swing at Mars Hill (Apr. 2) and Tusulum (Apr. 9), before the Cobras welcome Catawba on Apr. 13. The regular season concludes with a trip to Limestone (Apr. 16) and the home finale on Apr. 22 against Anderson (S.C.).
Snow notes that the SAC is one of the best leagues in Division II lacrosse, and that the team has to bring its best each and every game.
"The start of our SAC schedule, which is on the road against L-R and then the next weekend we have Wingate, is going to be a huge challenge," said Snow. "There's really not an easy game on our schedule."
The Cobras open the 2022 season on Sunday (Feb. 6) against No. 10/14 Mount Olive. Opening face-off is set for 1:00 p.m. from the Coker Athletic Field, with video and live stats available at www.cokercobras.com. Tickets for the game are also available at www.cokercobras.com/tickets.
