Photo by: Michael Furman
In what was suppose to be a transition season, sophomore lacrosse player Alex Demopoulos has exceeded all preseason expectations and propelled DU to the top of the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC).
The transition from one coach, Jamie Munro, to another, head coach Bill Tierney, has been effortless for the attackman, who has 28 goals on the season and a total of 45 points, both of which lead the team.
More importantly, Demopoulos has sparked the Pioneers offense and allowed the team to win six straight games including a 10-9 win over conference opponent Ohio State.
“Without Alex, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are right now,” said Tierney. “He is a guy who has most seamlessly moved into the new system and has done a really good job listening to the changes we have had asked him to make in his game.”
The evolution of Demopoulos as consistent scoring threat parallels the teams shift from a 7-8 squad last year to a team that is in the midst of reaching its ultimate potential.
Demopoulos, a San Diego native who grew up in Connecticut, believes the key to his change individually and the team’s transformation stems from two things–good team chemistry and an emphasis on limiting turnovers.
“We [the attackmen] are finally gelling and playing well together along with the middies on the offense side of the ball,” said Demopoulos. “All year long we have been trying to get rid of turnovers and that has really helped us out on offense and allowed us to click.”
Denver (4-0 ECAC, 9-4) opened the season 0-2 losing to Syracuse and Jacksonville respectively. In both those games, the Pioneers combined for 49 total turnovers, an average of 24.5 per game.
Tierney admits that the turnover problem is still present; DU committed 38 turnovers in their back-to-back home games against Bellarmine and Quinnapiac on April 9 and 11, respectively, but acknowledges the offense is beginning to click.
“Coach Tierney wants us to slow it down more and take care of the ball,” said Demopoulos. “Since he has been here we have gotten rid of the wild behind the back passes we had last year and we don’t have as many crazy plays.”
Despite the shift in coaching regimes, assistant coach Matt Brown, a DU class of 2005 alum, has stayed on to coach the offensive players, which includes Demopoulos.
Tierney credits Brown’s relationship with Demopoulos for his players blossoming success.
“Coach Brown deserves credit for developing a movement oriented offensive system,” said Tierney. “Alex has adapted to that and is really understanding what we are trying to do with the midfielders dodging and the ball moving through him constantly.”
Demopoulos also credits Brown and the entire coaching staff for the offensive success he and the team have enjoyed since being beaten 14-7 by Notre Dame on March 16.
Despite tying a season low in goals scored that game, Demopoulos was the only Pioneer able to score two goals that game.
In DU’s first three conference games against Hobart, Bellarmine and Quinnipiac, he recorded 16 points from 10 goals and six assists.
“I have had a lot of chances on the crease and have just been able to finish the ball good, or dodge and look for an open teammate,” said Demopoulos. “Taking care of the ball has allowed me to go at my defensemen more.”
The duo of Demopoulos and fellow sophomore Mark Matthews has been lethal for DU in the past three, with the pair netting at least five goals total in each conference game thus far.
“I try to look for Mark in the middle, because he is such a lethal target,” said Demopoulos. “I just throw it in there and he finishes everything.”
The sophomore also credits junior Todd Baxter and freshman Colin Scott, both attackmen, for his breakout season.
“Most of my goals have been assisted so a lot of credit goes to my teammates for getting me the ball,” said Demopoulos.
According to Tierney, the team expected that Demopoulos knew how to score, but what has really been surprising is how well he has been able to pass it.
He currently has 15 assists on the season, which is second on the team.
Now that Demopoulos has found the perfect match in Matthews, it is the duo’s responsibility to keep the high-powered offense running.
Up ahead awaits the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s top two teams, other than DU, No. 14 Fairfield and No. 9 Loyola.
If the team wants to win those two games, they will need to score goals. Loyola has surrendered more than 10 goals to only one opponent this year, Notre Dame.
“The mentality of the team has been getting the next win, because we don’t want to look ahead too much,” said Demopoulos. “We just have to play our style and try to beat the best teams in our league.”
With Demopoulos, who has completely transitioned into the new system in less than a year’s time, the Pioneers have a leader for the present and for the future.
“The sky is the limit for Alex,” said Tierney. “He will always be a great talent for us, but the question is whether or not he can graduate from DU as a First-Team All American and he has the type of ability to do that.”
