It’s Day 2 for our brand, spanking new “Player’s perspective” feature, gang.
Today we head out to Ridgefield, Conn., home of the defending FCIAC champion Ridgefield Tigers. We will be hearing from a couple of coach Roy Colsey’s Tigers here this season.
First up is University of North Carolina-bound junior defenseman Matt Shannon.
* Player’s perspective archive
For background info on Matt, click here.
What have you been doing to get ready for the season?
I have been lifting and working on strength, as well as improving my stick skills and agility.
Can you talk about some of the key players you lost from last year and how you think you will be able to replace them?
We lost a lot of talented players from last year, including Matt White, Brendan Walsh, Colin Scott and Matt Baker on the offensive front, and Mike Periendri, Mike Mcknight, Pete Vredenburg and Jon Mirra on the defensive side along with a great goalie in Jake Hyatt. This year we have a few players who will put up big numbers like Galione, Mueller, Mathias and Vasquez, and then we hope to spread the scoring through the rest of the team. I think we’ll have 10 kids with six goals a piece, instead of Matt White with 60 goals individually.
You will be playing some of the top teams in Section 1 during the regular season. Tell us about that.
We have a tough out of conference schedule. We play John Jay, Yorktown, Somers and Lawrenceville (N.J.). I look forward to playing John Jay and Yorktown the most.
What players on your team do you think will surprise some people this season?
I think Andrew Buckanavage, a junior midfielder, could have a real impact. Also Aidan Scott, a junior attackman, can really dodge and finish. Defensively, junior Griffin Mccarty will be very important. He’s big, strong and very athletic. And junior goalie Drew Butturini is really solid in net and should step up big. And on attack senior Jack ” The Enigma” Philbin could have big numbers this year because of his finishing ability, and sophomore Eric Scala has potential too.
What do you think the strength of your team will be this year?
I think the strength of our team this year will definitely be our midfield. We have a good crop of big, fast, athletic middies who can really shoot.
Connect with us
Become a Fan of LaxLessons on Facebook now by clicking here.
LaxLessons.com recruiting coverage
Posted In: Fairfield lacrosse, Player's perspective
Matt – have a fantastic season. The team will be looking to you not only to anchor the defense but for strong leadership.