Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 16, 1993 TAG: 9305160070
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
They were just wondering who would coach the team.
"It was the last week in August when we heard about coach [Dennis] Daly," midfielder John Hunter said. "We knew there had been some bad seasons, but I don't think any of us thought he would be released."
Not only was there no coach to greet the freshmen on their arrival, but it was October before W&L hired an athletic director, whose responsibility it was to hire the lacrosse coach.
Normally, the roster takes shape during fall practice, but there was none. When Jim Stagnitta took over as coach Nov. 14, 1989, time was of the essence.
"I remember it as a very stressful time," Hunter said. "We had 75 or 80 guys at our first practice [in January] and 25 or 26 of them were freshmen. Even seniors who had been starting for two or three years were worried about getting axed."
One of the freshmen who got `axed' was goalie Brian Murtagh, who did not return to the team until two years later, after being approached by Stagnitta at a pick-up basketball game. All Murtagh did as a senior was make first-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
He is one of 10 Washington and Lee seniors, a group that includes ODAC player of the year Wiemi Douoguih, who sat out the 1990-91 season and is a year older than most of his classmates. Seven will start today at 1 p.m., when fourth-ranked Ohio Wesleyan (10-1) entertains No. 6 W&L (12-2).
Ohio Wesleyan ended both of W&L's previous Division III tournament appearances, including a 19-10 decision in 1991. The Bishops' only loss this year was to 12-time Division III champion Hobart, 13-12.
W&L enters the game with a five-game winning streak, including an 18-3 victory over VMI that marked the sixth time the Generals had held the opposition under five goals a game. W&L has allowed only 6.4 goals per game, thanks in large part to Murtagh and All-ODAC defensemen Josh Levinson and Kirk Olsen - all seniors.
W&L's top four scorers are also seniors - Douoguih, Hunter, Dave Lefkowitz and Dave Schiminger - as is faceoff specialist Derek Hutton.
For all of its apprehensions, the freshman class saw some promise in 1989. The Generals won six of their last seven games that year to finish 9-4 and were ranked 11th in the final poll. The next two years they were 11-4 and 9-5.
"I can't say it surprises me," Schiminger said, "but, at the time, I wasn't sure what to expect. Coming from a pretty good high-school program, I had some questions. I was a little wary."
Levinson said he was happy to be playing football in the fall of his freshman year. A tight end, he was to become a co-captain in football and lacrosse.
"The whole situation was kind of odd," Levinson said. "I don't remember the letter [from Daly], but I remember not knowing what was going on. I think it wasn't handled well at first, but then there was a quick recovery."
It didn't hurt that Douoguih returned from his year's sabbatical - "He was coming back all along," Stagnitta said - or that Murtagh was discovered in time to become W&L's first All-ODAC goalie since 1987.
by CNB