by Shane Mettlen | LaxMagazine.com | Twitter
After upsetting then No. 13 Regis over the weekend, Rollins
College has a 4-1 record with the lone loss coming to top-ranked
Adelphi. But don't think that with his Tars now ranked No. 15 in
Division II that coach Dennis
Short is satisfied in the least.
"We expected to be undefeated at this point, so no, I am
not where I want to be," Short said. "We didn't work hard enough to
beat a team we need to beat to win a championship. I don't care
about our record. I only care about our effort."
Rollins next five games are all at home against unranked
opponents, presenting an opportunity to head into April among the
top-ranked teams in the nation, but Short is simply focused on
getting his team to play the way it needs to make a postseason
run.
"Probably the best game of my 20-plus year coaching career was
our double overtime loss to Limestone in the 2013 NCAA Semifinal,"
he said. "I was disappointed in the outcome for my players, but I
will always have a special place in my heart for that team. Because
on the biggest stage they gave my their absolute best effort.
"We haven't given our best effort in some of our games this
season. Until I see every player on my team bring the level of
focus, commitment, and effort we need in every game to win a
championship I will always have concerns."
The Tars dealt with tough luck following that 2013 season. After
entering 2014 ranked fourth in the nation, Rollins was hit hard by
injuries and limped to an 8-8 finish. So far it has avoided an
serious injuries this year and Division II points leader Tyler
Thomas (25 goals) and UMBC transfer Kristina
Coppolino (10 goals, 6 assists) have helped pace a potent
attack while veterans such as fifth-year senior Ginevra
Czech (3 goals, 4 assists) have battled back from their
injuries and are contributing this season.
Short is hoping the challenges of last season serve as lessons
for the current roster.
"Some of the injured players are back, some are not, some have
graduated," he said. "There are no excuses for last season.
Injuries happen. You have to be mentally tough enough to grit it
out and find ways to win with who you do have. The ones that are
back are doing what I would expect any player who missed a season
to do make every day count."
