University of Massachusets Athletics
Final Four Trip All Business
May 25, 2006 | Men's Lacrosse
May 24, 2006
Greg Cannella has kept a promise he made early in his head coaching career.
Cannella told Amherst native Kathy Connors, then a staff member of the University of Massachusetts media relations department, that he would never go to a men's lacrosse Final Four unless his team was in it.
"We were in his office, and I was just curious, so I asked him if he was going to the Final Four," recalled Connors, now the director of strategic communications for Octagon - a leading marketing and management firm. "And he told me that he would never go to the Final Four without his team."
Many coaches regularly attend the Final Four. Cannella is in his 12th season as the UMass coach.
"Yes, that's true," Cannella said yesterday of his promise. "So, I'm going this weekend I guess."
UMass (12-4) faces Maryland (12-4) Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in the national semifinals at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
"I've never been tempted," Cannella said of just showing up to the Final Four as a spectator. "It's funny because it's a dead period in our recruiting calendar, so I've used that to spend time with my family. I didn't have to stay at home, I wanted to.
"And I usually watch the games on TV. In this job you do so much traveling, when you have a chance to be at home when you don't have to be on the road, it's important to be there."
Now the rest of the nation will be watching when Cannella's crew matches up with Maryland, a team he played with for one year (1984).
"I was fourth attackman, I played some, I might have had four or five goals," Cannella remembered. "There was a coaching change before I got there. I was recruited by Dino Mattesich, and he left in the summer, and Dick Edell was hired. I thought I did fairly well that first year (Maryland went 7-4), but I was basically told that they were going to go with some other guys. At least they told me, and I decided to transfer. And it probably turned out to be the best thing I ever did. Never in a million years did I figure it would turn out as well as it did."
Cannella played at Nassau Community College in 1985 before enrolling at UMass, where he spent 1986 and 1987.
The Maryland of today is much different than the team with which Cannella played. The defensive coordinator is the same (Dave Slafkosky, 23rd year), but the Terps are more of an offensive machine.
Maryland has outscored opponents 159-102 with 362 shots on goal and 274 against. And the Terps get better as the game goes along. In the fourth quarter, they've scored 44 goals and allowed 18. UMass holds a 49-33 advantage in the fourth.
"To stop them, you're going to have to play great one-on-one on defense," Cannella said. "And you're obviously going to have to make saves. And hopefully we can win more faceoffs than them, and get extra possessions.
"In this theater, it's going to be a little bit different for our guys stepping onto the field than it has been in the past. You want to make you get off to a good start against such a good team like Maryland. You want to be mentally sharp early. And if you get any opportunities early on offense, you have to finish them."
©2006 The Republican
© 2006 MassLive.com All Rights Reserved.
