It was an unforgettable finish for Greenwich.
After ending the regular season with a 9-2 loss to Darien, the Cardinals entered the FCIAC playoffs with an 8-7 record.
But Greenwich then picked up an 8-5 win at defending FCIAC champion Ridgefield before edging Darien 8-7 in the semifinals and New Canaan 5-4 in the title game under first-year coach Scott Bulkley.
Can the Cardinals pull off an encore?
If they do, Patrick Robbin will undoubtedly play a big role.
The 5-foot-9, 160-pound senior midfielder, who has committed to Army, is an intense and physical player who also is a three-year letterwinner in football.
Here is Patrick’s perspective on the 2011 season:
What have you been doing to get ready for the season?
I just recently had shoulder surgery on Dec. 1, so I’ve been recovering and doing physical therapy. The hard part about an injured shoulder is that it really limits the movement you can do and for the past month I’ve been unable to run. So to stay in shape I’ve started to spin on a stationary bike, which has been an awesome substitute. As a team, we’ve been playing together since early in the fall when we played in some of the fall tournaments which has helped to bond our team. We’ve continued to play this winter inside an indoor facility as well as getting involved in rigorous weight and aerobic workout programs.
How does your schedule look, including scrimmages, and what games are you looking forward to?
Our schedule looks awesome. In addition to our FCIAC schedule, we are also really making a point of traveling out-of-state to play some of the teams in the surrounding states, something brand new to the Greenwich lacrosse program. One of the games I’m most looking forward to is playing against Chatham, who we scrimmaged last year in a preseason round robin. They really stood out to us as a great program and were really looking forward to playing them in an actual game.
What players on your team do you think will surprise some people this season?
I think there are a bunch of players that will make a huge impact and surprise a lot of people. Our system on both offense and defense really presents an opportunity for everyone of the field to make a big impact at any point, something that we used to our benefit last year when we won the FCIAC championship. Some of the players that I think can make a big impact are Fritz Waine who played a big role as a Defensive middie last year, but will now transition into just an awesome all-around midfielder. Another player will surprise a lot of people will be another midfielder, Alex Moeser, who was only a freshman last year when he scored a game winning overtime goal against Wilton, a win which really turned around our season.
What do you think the strength of your team will be this year?
One of our strengths right off the bat will be our experience in this new system which we implemented last year. Last year we really didn’t know what to expect going into the season with a coaching change and introducing an entire new complex offense and defense. However we still managed to win the FCIAC championship. Now after a successful year in that system, we can now build on what we already know. Another strength of our team will be our depth and our seniors. We have a very strong senior class this year and are very deep everywhere on the field. For example, we have two fantastic goalies, both of which could compete for a starting job on any team in the state.
How do you view the race in the FCIAC and who do you think the contending teams will be?
The competition in the FCIAC is always top-notch, producing so many great college lacrosse players. It seems that every year each team gets better than it was the year before and the teams that never really made an impact in the past are now going out and beating some of the top FCIAC competition. Some of the teams that we will be contending with are obviously Darien and New Canaan but also Wilton with their strong senior class as well as Staples and Ridgefield.
* For background info on Patrick, check out his recruit profile by clicking here.
Greenwich 2011 schedule
4-6 at Westhill
4-9 DARIEN
4-12 at New Canaan
4-16 vs Chatham (N.J.)
4-19 at Wilton
4-21 at Ward Melville
4-23 STAPLES-WESTPORT
4-26 at Danbury
4-28 at Lakeland/Panas
5-3 RIDGEFIELD
5-5 FAIRFIELD PREP
5-7 at Billerica Memorial (Mass.)
5-10 at Stamford
5-12 ST JOSEPH-TRUMBULL
5-14 at Rye HS
5-18 TRUMBULL
* For schedules for teams from throughout the region, be sure to check out the “Schedules galore” thread, and scroll down to the comments portion for the most recently released schedules.
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* Lombardi on Lacrosse Hot Stove Report, Dec. 28, 2010
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Posted In: Fairfield lacrosse, fciac, Player's perspective
This kid is everything you would want in a middie. A throwback player.
Great job Patrick. Have a good year!
Let’s Go Cards!