CSM Men’s Lacrosse Shows Off Talent and Potential in First Year Back with New Head Coach

CSM Men's Lacrosse Shows Off Talent and Potential in First Year Back with New Head Coach

Steve Campbell got to experience all of the highs and lows that come with being a head coach of a collegiate program for the first time during the 2018-19 season.

After losing the first two games of the season, he earned his first collegiate victory as a head coach - albeit with his team playing at the club level for the 2018-19 season - on March 15 when CSM beat the Union County College Owls 13-11 in La Plata.

"When we lost to Delaware Tech, I'm thinking 'My goodness, is the whole year going to be like this? Experience-wise from the players or the coaches, were we always going to fall short?'" Campbell said of CSM's 13-11 loss to Delaware Technical Community College on March 13. "So when we got that first win, that was very satisfying, that was good."

However, only a few days later, he endured a tough loss when the Hawks travelled to CCBC Essex and lost 30-2 to the Knights. 

CSM was able to rebound though and won their next three games against Johns Hopkins university's club team, Stevenson University's club team, and Williamson College of the Trades.

"That run that we had, starting with Union, the two games up at Stevenson, and then going to Williamson Trade, I think that's when we started to come together as a team," Campbell said.

The Hawks outscored their opponents 32-21 during their three-game win streak.

"The Williamson Trade game, we went up there a little short handed, and we played," Campbell said. "It was like we had nothing to lose. Let's just go up there and play our game. We fell behind and then came back and won 16-9. That was a good game. We walked away thinking that we can play."

The season ended on a lower note than Campbell would have wanted, losing to the Anne Arundel Community College Riverhawks 21-7, but overall he was satisfied with how his first season went.

"I know when we went into the Anne Arundel game, the message to the boys was we just don't want to lose 30-2," Campbell said. "Let's go out and play. I would have liked to have broken double digits, 21-10 would have been a lot better for us, but we had our opportunities for that. I think we walked off the field that day thinking we put our foot in the door."

Campbell said one of the biggest hurdles he wasn't fully prepared for as a first-year head coach was the reality of working in a community college environment. Some student-athletes had to take care of other priorities off the field and away from the team, so his roster unfortunately dwindled down as the season progressed.

But what Campbell said he is most proud of his team for is how much they improved from September in the offseason to the end of the regular season in April.

"I had a lot of opposing coaches come up to me saying that we were on the right track and just to keep at it," Campbell said. "I think the goal was to walk away with our heads up and I think we did that."

There was lots of promising young talent on the field on this Hawks team.

Freshman Caleb Schaffer was the team's goalie, playing the sport of lacrosse for the first time. He finished the season with a 41 percent save percentage.

"I can't say enough about him," Campbell said of his goalie. "You could see he was getting beat up in some of the games, but he never complained and went back out there. At the end of the year you could see he was directing traffic. I thought that was a pleasant surprise."

Sophomore midfielder Ryan Purcell led the team in points with 29, scoring 12 goals and adding 17 assists. He ranked 20th among MDJUCO players in points.

"I could see him being involved in the game for a long, long time," Campbell said. "I can't say enough good things about Ryan. He was a quiet leader, easy to coach, always looking to improve, just a great kid to have around. I'm gonna miss him, I wish he was coming back."

Sophomore midfielder Drew Hyland finished right behind Purcell on the team and among MDJUCO players in points with 26 off of 13 goals and 13 assists.

Freshman attacker Marshall Lanning ended the season leading the Hawks in goals scored with 18, enough to rank him 20th among MDJUCO players. He scored at least one goal in every game this season, and three times scored four goals in a game.

Campbell said the unsung hero of the team was freshman midfielder Will Meadows. Even though he played with an unorthodox style and sometimes went against conventional lacrosse wisdom, he found a way to make it work and excelled. He finished the season with 10 goals and seven assists.

"He at times kept us in a game or gave us that push for a run," Campbell said of Meadows. "You felt very good when he was on the field."

Freshman long-stick midfielder Isaiah Buck often impressed opposing coaches, Campbell said. He had 18 caused turnovers this season, seventh-best among MDJUCO players.

With his first season under his belt, Campbell is working to grow the program and keep the momentum from this year going. He is excited for the upcoming Prospect Day on June 15 that will not only allow him to scout potential student-athletes for his program but also increase the exposure of CSM and showcase to out-of-area student-athletes the possibility of attending the school.

After finishing the 2018-19 season with a 4-4 record, Campbell said he still has a lot to learn but feels confident moving forward to next season.